Words Left Unsaid
by Asha Childly
Summary: COMPLETE! So this is a Fax. It's really good. You should read it. It's post FANG, sort of what happened after he left on both sides. Rated for mild language, and some sexual referances. I promise I'll tell you if it gets too bad.
1. Chapter 1

**OMG, Hi! So I finished**_** Fang**_** a little while ago, and I was like, "What the hell? You can't end a book this way and not yet have the next book out!" So this is me solving that problem I faced. I hope you enjoy and I don't steer you off me permanently **** I'll try to update every Sunday night, so I have the weekend to work on it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of the characters there-in. If I did, I think someone would know about it and I'd be way more popular. Which I'm evidently not.**

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Chapter One**

**Max**

I had to keep repeating to myself that was gone. Really gone. Maybe forever. If I didn't, I started to believe that he was still here, that he'd never gone anywhere. I mostly just stayed in my room, and didn't say anything to anyone. Except my mom, sometimes. But other than that, I was completely non-responsive.

It felt like someone had reached inside me and pulled out a piece of me that had always been inside of me, since the day I was born. And not in a corny, Twilight kind of way. In a real way that made me want to scream and cry and laugh because all of this was so ridiculous that it didn't make any sense.

Conflicting, I know.

Of course, I couldn't just stay in my bed crying for the rest of my pathetic and miserable life. I had a flock to take care of. I had to suck it up and go help them get over it, even though I wasn't over it myself yet. I had to put on a tough face and lie through my teeth.

Just like always.

So, about a month after he left, I managed to drag myself out of my room and function in a non-zombie way. I went into the bathroom and took the longest, hottest shower ever taken. For all you heartbroken folks out there, try it. It's extremely effective. Not flawless, but helpful. When I was done with that, I cleaned myself up until I looked less miserable and more Leader Max. I just had to be enough to convince the flock. I wrapped one towel around my body and another on my head and headed out into the hall.

I slipped into my bedroom, hoping no one would choose to walk into the hall at that exact moment, and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt, discarding my towels on my floor. I stepped out of my room and into the living room and counted heads. Nudge's, Gazzy's, my mom's, Jeb's, Dylan's, Iggy's…

"Where's Angel?" I asked. Nudge shrugged.

"I think she's in her room," she said thoughtfully. I turned back and headed toward Nudge and Angel's room. I rapped my knuckles against the door.

"Angel?" I called softly. "You in there?"

I didn't get an answer, so I stepped though the door.

"Go 'way," Angel mumbled. She was lying on her bed in the dark. I closed the door again and walked over to where she was and sat down next to her.

"Angel?" I repeated. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

She sniffed loudly, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I just…can't believe he's gone!" she sobbed. I hugged her against me.

"I know, punkin. I know." I could feel my eyes stinging with tears. Crap.

"It was my fault, wasn't it, Max?" she said.

"No!" I said, taken aback. "Not at all! It wasn't you're fault at all!" I rubbed her back between her wings. She was sobbing heavily on my chest. "It wasn't anyone's fault. Fang just…made a choice. And now we're all going to have to—" I had to pause to take a deep breath and blink back tears "—we're all going to have to live with…that choice."

It was no use. Angel's tears brought on tears of my own and I started bawling, too. We were just holding each other and crying. Angel pulled away from me, so I leaned back as well.

"Maybe it's better this way," she said, trying to be optimistic through her tears. I nodded and gave a weak smile, wiping a stray tear off her cheek.

"Maybe," I agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, I know I said every Sunday, but it was killing me. So I bargained with myself. If I finished the chapter I was working on, I could post this one. Don't expect me to not succumb to my own desires a lot. I'll probably have posted three more by the week's end.**

**Don't count on it, though. ;)**

**Please enjoy chapter two! A story about a story which I do not own (Unfortunate, I know). While I'm here, I also don't own any other brand names mentioned in here. Just FYI.**

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**_Chapter Two_**

**Max**

My mom and Jeb had decided that we'd recovered enough, so they packed up and left to live their own happy little lives without us. Chalk up two more under people who've ever abandoned me when I needed them. That makes, what? Four?

"I love you, hunny," Mom had said before she'd left. "But, Jeb and I think that you're okay enough to take care of yourself."

"And the flock," I'd added. She nodded glumly.

"Yes, and the flock," she'd repeated. She gave us one last smile before she climbed into the car and she and Jeb drove away. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to have Jeb out of my life again, but I liked having my mom around. She was the only person—besides Fang—who had ever really understood me.

She assured me that I could always call. I might have, if I didn't believe that every phone in the world was bugged by evil scientist who were trying to kill me or test on me or whatever.

Dylan walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You know," he said, "no matter what anyone else decides, I'll always be there for you." I nodded and sniffed quietly. God, I was turning into such a sap.

"Me, too," Nudge added.

"Count me in," Gazzy said, grinning.

"I'm in, too," Iggy said. Angel just touched my elbow and said nothing.

"I love you guys," I said. We all went back into the house.

I was trying to get the kids back on the homeschooling wagon. It was really hard to stay on track when I was thinking about Fang, wondering where he was, if he was okay.

"He'll be fine, Max," Angel said. "He's tough. He knows how to take care of himself."

"Yeah, I know," I said. I just wished I did.


	3. Chapter 3

**I made up a new rule! As well as doing Sunday nights, I'm _also_ gonna add a chapter every time I finish a new one! (In case you're confused, I had ten chapters pre-written before I started posting). Plus, the chapters are really short, so I figure I owe you guys more. So, here's chapter three, on the same day as chapter two! I spoil you people.**

**Don't own Maximum Ride novels, or James Patterson (sadly) or Fang (Even sadlier). If I do, I promise to let you know.**

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_**Chapter Three**_

**Fang**

I left my old laptop behind, but also managed to snag an new one about four days ago. I landed, pulled it out of my bag. I'd gotten all the way to Virginia. I needed somewhere. I had, like, zero money, which means no food, no shelter, nothing, and, let's face it, after having everything, having nothing really sucked. I needed somewhere to crash. Somewhere other than trees.

But I couldn't go back to my old place with the flock. It was too…dangerous. I couldn't let them get mixed up in battles that were meant for me. What I needed was someone trustworthy, but expendable. It would have to be someone who would accept the possibility that I might have evil scientists shooting at me at a moment's notice.

I was pulled away from my thoughts by the sound of my little computer going _blip_. I jumped and opened my e-mail window.

**Allison Neill — My offer's still valid**

I stared at the link. Did I know an Allison? I cautiously opened the link and read through the e-mail.

_Dear Fang,_

_You may not remember me. If you did, you might know me as Sugargrrl. I commented on your blog a while ago regarding the offer of using my house for refuge. Well, I just wanted you to know, I was still offering that. So, if you still ever need somewhere to, like, lie low for a little while, just drop by. I live in Roanoke, Virginia._

_Peace,_

_Ally N._

A forgotten loyal reader. And, exactly what I needed. I quickly composed a reply.

_Dear Allison,_

_You know, you may have just saved my life. Take pride in that. It would be…really good to have somewhere unpredictable to hide. I'll meet you…somewhere. Where's a good meeting place?_

_Thanks,_

_Fang._


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh, wow. I was going to post this, like, five days ago, wrote it up, then forgot to actually publish it. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me and accept my offering of this chapter and the other one I forgot to publish. Sorry, sorry sorry!**

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_**Chapter Four**_

**Fang**

It was about two hours before I got a reply from Allison. She told me to meet me at an intersection on her way home from school; an intersection which is remaining a secret for personal preservation reasons. She seemed elated that I had actually replied to her. I told her I would explain everything to her when we met, just because it's a long story and I didn't feel like typing it out.

I took off for the intersection around two o'clock. She got out of school, a cruel and inhumane for of torture which I hoped she survived through, at two forty-five. I would meet her there around five minutes after that. My main goal: Look inconspicuous. Not easy, but doable.

At my not-as-fast-as-Max speed, I got there in a predictable half-hour. I spent the next fifteen minutes wandering aimlessly, like another citizen would. I slipped in and out of different shops, not buying anything with the money I didn't have. When it was quarter to three, I went back to the intersection and waited for Allison.

I wasn't long waiting. Allison was there in about three minutes. I recognized her by the necklace she was wearing. It had a black rose and was surrounded by red, black, and silver beads. She smiled when she saw me waiting there, but didn't do anything irrational. I deemed her cleaver. Maybe, by some miracle, she knew that would draw attention and that was bad.

"Hey," she said when she was about ten feet from me. I waved. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long," I told her, shrugging. I could see that she was desperately trying to swallow giddy delight.

She led me through the streets, babbling useless nonsense to pass the time. Things about clubs she was in at school, music she was listening to, books she'd read lately. She finally asked where the rest of the flock was.

It got quiet very fast.

"They're…uh, back in Colorado," I finally said. "I had to…go away for a while."

Allison's jaw dropped. "You left the flock?" she demanded. I cringed at the accusation in her voice. "I thought you weren't supposed to do that anymore! How can you just leave them behind?"

"I did what was best for them!" I retorted. Allison collected herself and waited patiently for me to continue. "Look, there's someone after me. If any of the flock got caught in the crossfire and died because of me, I…"

"I get it. Doing what's best for the flock, being Mr. Hero again," Allison said, laughing quietly. "Oh! We're home!"

Allison's sudden exclamation made me jump. I looked up to see that we were standing on a porch in front of large house. Allison stepped through the door and I reluctantly followed.

"Hey, Ally!" a woman's voice came from down the hall. She popped her head out of the doorway, smiled at her daughter, and looked sceptically at me. She walked down the hall toward us, drying her hands with a dish towel. "Who's you're friend?"

"Oh! This is F—" Allison broke off and glanced over at me for help.

"Nick," I completed.

"Yeah. Nick…Alders...brooke. He's from school," she explained.

"Oh? And why is he here?" I'd never heard that question asked so innocently.

Allison took a deep breath. I turned to look at her, eager to hear this as well. "Nick's family is pretty messed up. His brother was just caught dealing drugs, his sister was secretly a prostitute and is in rehab right now, and his dad just got out of jail for sexual assault." She paused, counting things off on her fingers. "Oh, and his mom ran off to Vegas with her boss."

I stared at her, wide-eyed, but also trying to memorize each fact about my made-up-on-the-spot family.

"He was hoping he could stay here for a little while he searches for a better way of life," Allison concluded finally.

"Oh, my goodness! Well, I suppose that would be fine for the time being," Allison's mom decided, fiddling with the dish towel in her hands. "I'll go make up the guest room."

Allison's mother hurried out of the room and up the stairs. I turned back to Allison, raising my eyebrows. She grinned.

"Where did you come up with that?" I asked. She shrugged modestly.

"Dunno," she said. "I guess I just thought of it. I sort of planned it through the day. In case my mom asked, you know?"

"Anything else I should know?" I asked.


	5. Chapter 5

**OMG! Before I added all this, this chapter was exactly 400 words long! 8D Anyway, Happy Hallowe'en, all! Make it last!**

_**Chapter Five**_

**Max**

_"Max," _a familiar voice called out of the shadows. I turned toward it.

_"Fang?" _I called, pushing through overgrown foliage.

_"Max!" _he called again, more urgently. I began running, stumbling over hidden roots and uneven ground. I knew it was him. It had to be. I was so desperate to see him, to feel his body against mine again.

_"Fang! Fang, where were you!"_ I hollered in the direction of his voice. He called my name again, and I followed the sound. He continuously repeated my name, and I kept following his voice, until it was so close it was like he was standing right in front of me. I hurried forward, but lost my footing and was sucked into a hole in the ground.

I tried to fly back out, but I couldn't move my wings. So I fell and fell, for what felt like years, and eventually gave up hope that there was a bottom for me to hit and have my legs go up through my brain, ergo killing me and ending all this torture forever.

_Please_, I thought. _If there was a loving, caring God, let him kill me right now. I'm so done._

I think I finally landed, but there was no slamming of my legs into my brain. I just landed in a large dog crate. There were Whitecoats everywhere, holding big syringes filled with different coloured liquids.

Then, I felt something drip on my head. It dripped again. And again. Finally, I looked up.

And Fang was dangling limply from the ceiling, attached to a thick rope.

I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs.

My door burst open and the whole flock and Dylan burst into my room. Nudge instantly saw the rare look of terror in my eyes and rushed over, wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back and tried to hold back tears, failing miserably.

That nightmare had all my worst fears rolled up in one:

Falling and not being able to fly up.

Being stuck in a dog crate. Again.

Whitecoats.

Whitecoats putting things in my body that didn't belong there.

Fang being brutally murdered and left for me to see.

I didn't knew how much longer I'd be able to survive away from Fang without my head exploding.

I wondered how he was surviving without me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to chapter six! I really hope you're enjoying the story thus far! I'm still _really_ sorry about accidentally not posting the last two chapters. So here's chapter six! Enjoy! Oh, and I really hate to mention it, but I really do love reviews and I haven't gotten very many. So if any of you people have a couple of seconds and are willing to give me some feedback…yeah, thanks.**

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Chapter Six**_

**Fang**

I didn't sleep well that night. I never did in a strange place. But this was worse. I felt like something was particularly off from sleeping here. maybe it was because I didn't have any of the flock at either side of me. I couldn't ever remember sleeping without one member of the flock nearby.

I was also really hungry. And I wasn't one to ignore hunger. So I got up, slipped on my jacket (I never go anywhere without my jacket), and headed down the stairs. I was pretty sure you weren't supposed to raid people's kitchens without asking, but you also weren't supposed to wake people up in the middle of the night.

I deemed the latter the higher crime and headed down the stairs for the kitchen.

There was fruit all over the counter. Like, literally, every fruit I'm pretty sure existed. I grabbed a banana and ate that, hoping it could hold me over until morning. All of this was done in the dark. With my raptor vision, I could see everything in the night as well as in the day. So I was startled when the lights turned on over my head. I turned to the doorway, and Allison was standing there, squinting at me.

"What're you doing up?" she asked in a groggy tone. I shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep, got hungry, came down here," I explained simply. "What about you?"

"Um, pretty much the same thing," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"I don't know. Maybe I was…missing them," I explained. It sounded weak and pathetic.

"I don't know how you've held out so long. I would had broken down a while ago. Even if I did think I was doing the right thing." She joined me at the table. She looked up at me, and I noticed that her eyes were the same colour as oak wood. They were wide and sparkly. Girly, I guess. "Could I ask you a personal question?"

"No," I answered just as she said "personal." I wasn't the "Share your feelings" type. I wasn't even sure if I was the "Feelings" type. Allison stood back up and walked over to one of the cabinets, pulling out a cup, a tin, and a spoon. She put some water on the stove and jumped up on the counter.

"Sorry," she said, staring at her swinging feet. "About the question, I mean." She smiled crookedly. "I guess I just, wanted to know a little about you. That's all."

I shrugged as the kettle started screaming. Allison jumped to her feet to tend it. "It's fine. I'm just, not into spilling my guts and stuff," I explained. Allison laughed quietly.

"So, are you coming to school with me tomorrow?" she asked, pouring the water into the cup, adding three scoops of powder from the tin, and stirring it in. I laughed.

"As soon as hell freezes over. I'm still waiting on that one," I said, doing my best attempt at good humour. Allison smiled, looking back down at her feet.

"Right, yeah, sorry," she stuttered. I sort of laughed. She was funny, like that other girl, Jess, who'd sent me all those random questions. Frig, were all my fans like this? "You want some cocoa?" she asked, gesturing to the cup.

"Sure," I said, gratefully accepting the steaming cup of chocolate deliciousness. "And anyway, I have stuff that needs to be done," I continued. "Can't let Max save the world all by herself and whatnot." Allison smiled.

"Of course," she finished. I stood up and stretched my back.

"Well," I said tiredly, finishing with my cup. "I'm going back to bed. Allison nodded.

"Me, too," she said. She grabbed her cup off the counter and rushed up the stairs into her bedroom. I flicked off the light, laughed to myself again, and headed up the stairs as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh, my goodness! I got it done! Sorry I haven't been posting, like, _at all_ this week. Things have been pretty hectic, what, with my three day long dance/drama/vocal workshop and all. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy chapter seven, and I promise you there is Fax-y goodness to come for any of you who are concerned! Love!**

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Chapter Seven**_

**Max**

I'd been lounging on the couch, reading through a textbook (Yes, even the teacher could learn) when Gazzy came racing down the hall and right into my face. He was out of breath and white in the face.

"Gazzy?" I said nervously. "What's the matter?"

"I can't find Iggy!" he wailed. I set aside my textbook and stood up, trying to keep a calm face.

"Now, Gazzy, I'm sure he's around," I said calmly.

"But I've looked everywhere!" Gazzy protested. "I looked _everywhere _in his room, and all over the house, and I couldn't find him _anywhere_!"

My heart rate quickened. Too many people had left my life lately. I didn't know how much more heartbreak my body could take. took a deep, relaxing breath, preparing myself to take the worst.

"Alright," I said. "Let's go look together."

Gassy led me through the house and we searched through every room. He wasn't in any one of them. I started to freak out just a little bit.

"No, this isn't right," I said, running my hands through my hair, one of many stress habits I'd gotten into. "Iggy wouldn't just leave. He would at least tell someone before leaving." At that point, I wasn't sure whether I was reassuring Gazzy or reasoning with myself. Once again, I wished Fang were here to help me find Iggy. If Fang were here, we would have found him by now.

If Fang were here, Iggy probably wouldn't have left in the first place.

"What are you doing?" Nudge asked, coming down the hall. She looked worried. I didn't blame her.

"Looking for Iggy," I replied as calmly as I could.

"He's missing!" Gazzy wailed again, ruining all my efforts of trying to keep things relatively calm. Nudge's eyes bulged open.

"He's _missing_? Missing where?" she demanded.

"If we knew where he was, he wouldn't be missing," I said matter-of-factly, even though I felt like screaming.

Nudge joined our search party, and eventually, so did Angel and Dylan, right after we had a similar conversation to the one that I'd had with Nudge. We checked, rechecked, and re-rechecked every single room. Eventually, a thought popped into my head.

"Did anybody bother to check outside?" I asked. The remaining flock members exchanged glances and I assumed that the answer was no, no one had. I groaned, hurried for the front door, and jumped off the porch, catching the air under my wings. It felt amazing to completely surrender myself to the wind for the first time in…had it really been a month and a half? Wow. I searched through the skies for Iggy, glancing up at the dark rain clouds. I hoped I could find him before it started to rain. I swooped down into the woods a few times, hoping to find him there. I didn't have any luck.

It wasn't until I'd pretty much given up (not all the way given up. Maximum Ride never all the way gives up) and doubled back, still swooping in and out of the woods, that I spotted something. A 98% human something. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. Thank God, he was alive and in state.

He was sitting on a thick branch about halfway up the tree, leaning against the tree and hugging his knees to his body. I could see the streaks of dried tears which had stained his face, and I immediately felt a painful lump develop in my throat. My tough flock hardly ever cried before, but recently it seemed like nobody could help themselves. I knew I was probably the last one Iggy wanted to see right now, but still I flew down and landed beside him on the tree branch.

"Hey, Iggy," I said softly. He turned his head away from me.

"Hey," he said, so quietly I almost didn't hear it.

"You know you scared the crap out of us, right?" I asked.

No answer.

I narrowed my eyes at Iggy. "You shouldn't just take off like that! I didn't know where you were! I thought you might have…"

I trailed off and realized that I had tears running down my face, too. I quickly wiped them away.

"I'm sorry," Iggy finally said, standing up. His face was blank and emotionless and he spoke in a monotone. "I didn't mean to worry anyone. Let's go." And with that, he jumped up and flew off. I was quick to follow him.

When we got back home, the flock was there, obviously pleased that we still had six in our flock. I sighed, still holding back tears from the reminder that Fang had abandoned us. At least some people still bothered to stick around.


	8. Chapter 8

**Woohoo! Chapter eight! We're really making progress! This chapter has a lot to do with character development in Allison and it gives you a little information about her family and her history and whatever. I hope it doesn't bore you to tears. But in case it does, I'll post a new chapter soon.**

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Chapter Eight**

**Fang**

It was about a year after I'd started living with the Neill family when Allison's father started coming home drunk. Even in my second-story bedroom I could hear them yelling at each other. I wasn't really concerned about them, but I was worried about Allison.

After her parents started fighting, Allison went straight to her room when she got home. She wouldn't talk to anybody. Not even me. Usually, she wouldn't stop talking to me.

It took seven days before Allison's mother finally had had enough with the drinking. I had been upstairs, researching Itex branches, when it really started. I'd left my door open, a rare occasion, and I could hear the yelling clearly, each word traveling from the kitchen, up the stairs, down the hall, and into my room.

Soon afterward, they filed for a divorce.

I'd never met anyone who was divorced, and I didn't understand the process at all. All I knew was that three days after, Mr. Neill had moved out, taking whatever was strictly his with him. Whether or not they were actually divorced, I didn't knew. What I did knew was that Allison had finally snapped.

For a while, I wasn't sure if Allison ever planned to leave her room ever again. Whenever her mom went in to wake her up for school, she came out saying that Allison felt too sick to went that day. So I spent as much time during the week I could hanging around the house in case Allison decided to get up and do something.

She never did.

After a month and a half of not seeing Allison, I started to worry that she would never get over it. But in the middle of the night, while I was typing away on my blog, with the only sound being my fingers lightly tapping against the keyboard, there was a soft knock on my door.

"Come in," I called quietly, as to not wake any sleeping people. My door creaked open and Allison popped her head in. The only source of light was my computer screen and a dim lamp beside me, but I could still see that she looked like crap. She'd obviously been crying. All around her eyes, the skin was bright red and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

"Was I interrupting you?" she asked quietly. That worried me, because Allison never did anything quietly. I shook my head no, pulled my feet under my knees, and put my laptop on the floor. Allison bring the rest of her body into my room, closed the door, and came over and sat on my bed. She crossed her legs and looked at the sheet on top of it. I watched her, waiting for her to say something. She didn't look up, just sat there and played with the sheet in her hands.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked her. She looks up briefly at me, then looks back down.

"No, not really," she said. I slid closer to her and put a hand on top of hers. Not because I wanted to touch her, but because I got a sudden feeling that it was the right thing to do. That's how it is with me. Max has her crazy voice, and I had my "Feeling" thing. Guess it makes up for my lack of emotion. Allison looked up at me, smiled weakly, and rested her head against my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and leaned back against the wall.

That was when she fell against my chest in a sobbing fit.

She took me off guard, but I quickly recovered. I let her cry on my chest and rubbed her back with one hand. When Allison's sobs calmed to a small shaking through her body, she mumbled into my chest, "Could I sleep here tonight?" She wanted to sleep in my room with me?

"Why not," I answer simply. I had no one left who would care.


	9. Chapter 9

**WOAH! This is, like, the longest chapter I've posted yet! I hope you like it, all you readers who are like "Gah! You're chapters are _WAAAY_ too short!" I love you all so much! And I hope you really really like this chapter since it's, like 1,400 words long! Please review. But only if you want to ;)**

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Chapter Nine**

**Fang**

I still could hardly believe that Allison and her mom had let me live with them for two and a half years already. Although, I only spend about half my time there. I ate dinner and slept there, but during the day, when Allison was at school, which she returned to after a few nights of my prompting, I went out and worked on my little side job of preventing scientists from doing evil things, saving the world from global warming, and other assorted odd jobs. The kids around the world were doing a really good job of protesting pollution and things like that.

Both years I'd spend here, Allison and her mother had insisted on celebrating my non-existent birthday. It helped that Allison and I shared a birthday, even though hers was her actual date of birth and mine was just the day after Max decided she wanted to be fifteen.

I still regularly posted on my blog. I wanted so bad to send an email or something to Max, but I was afraid that that would make everything so much more complicated. She needed a clean cut from me. If I reminded her that I was gone, especially after this long, it would probably only make things harder.

So that's what I was currently doing: sitting on my bed in my tiny room, typing away on my laptop. The bed was directly across from the door, and beside it was an old-fashioned desk with an old-fashioned lamp, which I sometimes used to work on my laptop. Other than that, it didn't had much use to me.

There were no windows in my room, which I hated because it meant that I had no quick option of escape. But beggars can't be choosers, so I just took what I could get. The walls were painted gray, and the floor was covered in a light wood. Pretty plain, but I'm not exactly all for neon colours, so it worked just fine for me.

There was a light knock on my door. I recognized Allison's special knock of three fast knocks, and two slow. I looked up from my laptop to the door.

"Come in," I said. The door cracked open, and Allison's heart-shaped face peered inside.

"Oh, sorry. Are you busy?" she asked. I shook my head no, looking back at my laptop. She opened the door more, stepped inside, and closed it behind her.

"Good," she said, sitting down across from me on my bed and beaming. She held up one of the mugs in her hands. "I brought some hot chocolate."

I half-smiled and took the mug from her hand. "Thanks," I said, glancing at her for only a second before looking back at my work. I was answering some of the comments on my blog. The kids were working so hard at improving the planet. No one would ever underestimate a child again. _They _were the ones who had the power to save the world from its impending doom. _They _were the ones who would—

"Nick?" Allison's mother hollered up the stairs. I set the laptop beside me and went to the door, popping my head into the hallway so I could see her at the bottom of the stairs. Just like she always did, she smiled when she saw me. "Pizza or pasta?"

"Pizza," I responded almost automatically. Ever Friday she asked me that question and every Friday I give her the same answer.

"Okay," she said. I was starting to wonder if that woman was slow or something, then revised that thought to maybe she was just being hospitable. She walked back toward the kitchen, and I stepped back in my room, sat on my bed, and put my laptop back on my lap. Across from me, Allison was still sipping her drink.

"Um…Fang?" she asked nervously. I peered up at her over my laptop.

"Yeah?" I said after a pause. It was obvious she needed prompting to finish her thought. She still didn't say anything, so I closed the top on my laptop and looked directly at her. "What's up?"

"I was…wondering if you…had any…plans for…tomorrow night?" Allison stumbled over each word, ending in a question, like she was unsure she whether she should have asked. I tried not to look as suspicious as I feel.

"Probably not," I said finally. "Why?"

"Well, it's the second week of April, and my school does this…dance ever second Saturday of April…"

"And?" I prompted. Allison's cheeks flushed bright red and she looked down into her mug.

"I was wondering if you wanted to…go to the…dance with me?" she finally said. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't laugh out loud.

"You and me? Go to a dance?" I managed to say. The entire idea just seemed so crazy, I couldn't think of a logical way to understand it. I _hated_ public things. But being elbow-to-elbow with hundreds of teenagers in a dark, loud room?

"Yeah, that's what…I thought. I figured it might be nice for you to…get out and do something fun," Allison said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She was always so shy when she asked people to do things for her, especially after her parents split up. I could only imagine how hard it must had been for her to work up the courage to ask me to a dance.

And it was just one little outing…

"Alright," I said. Her head shot up so she could look me in the eyes, probably to see if I was lying. One side of my lip quirked up into my signature, bad-ass half-smile. "How bad could one dance be?" I added to enforce that I was serious. Allison's eyes lit up.

"Really? Then you'll go?" she gushed. I shrugged. How bad could it be?

The dance in itself wouldn't have been so bad, if it hadn't been for the fact that I was totally stressed out the entire time. Always checking over my shoulder for white-coats, always watching for suspicious-looking freak people.

The gym where the dance was was really big; high ceilings, huge floor space. The room was completely dark other than a few lights that spun around the room. There also weren't that many people. There were still way to many for comfort, but it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I let Allison mingle most of the time and just stood by one of the walls. Eventually, Allison finally returned with a glass of punch in both hands. She stood a few feet away from me, looking around confused.

"Fang?" she said.

"I'm over here," I called. She turned, faced where I was standing, but still looked confused.

"Over where?" she asked. I stepped forward and relief washed over her face.

"How did you do that?" she asked. I was about to ask what I did, but then remembered my nasty habit of occasionally turning invisible. So I just smiled at her instead.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come," she said. I shrugged.

"It's not too bad," I said.

"Oh, that's good! I'm glad you like it!" Allison said, beaming. "So I was talking to Brad just a minute ago, and you'll never believe what he told me! He was talking to Jamie, and she tells him that Terry heard Megan say…"

And there she went, into a full-out spiel of everything that she'd found out from other people in the forty-five minutes we'd been here. I tried to sort of tune her out, like I did every time she bombarded me with gossip.

She was just about to move on to a new topic when a familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"Oh. My. God. Nick?" it said, making each word its own sentence. My body stiffened and my blood ran cold.

_Lissa._


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello fanfiction readers who I love and stuff! I'm posting this away from home on a dial-up-but-not-really connection. I don't like taking too long on it, so sorry if I missed some mistakes But anyway, I'd just like to enforce once again that this is _not_ a FangXOC (Allison) story. I've receive a couple of reviews concerning it, so I'm just pointing out again that this story is to be entirely and 100% a FAX STORY!**

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Chapter Ten

**Fang**

I turned around, dreading what I would see before I even saw it. There she was, long red hair pooling around her face, the tight ringlets flowing over her shoulders. Max had always hated her because she "saw me kissing her" and she was _jealous_, no matter how much she denied it.

Just so nobody continues to hate me for it, here's what _actually _happened:

See, I was collecting my things at the end of the day, and the only other one in the room was Lissa. She was picking up her things, too. Then she dropped a bunch of her books, so I went over to help her pick them up. We both bent down to pick them up, and she looked up at me, only I was looking down, so her…lips kind of…touched mine, and then she stood up, and her cheeks were all pink and stuff, and then…

Okay, yeah, I kissed her.

But that's beside the point. I hadn't been in contact with her since we ditched that hell-hole school and tried to take on Itex. I never planned on seeing her again. After I saw how Max reacted—which was kind of hilarious at first—and then seeing her with that wiener Sam. That's pretty much when I decided that I didn't want any other girl but Max.

I realized that Lissa was standing right in front of me. Had she always been so short? I was at least a foot taller than her. Anyway, she looked unhappy.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said sourly.

"Yeah, you, too," I replied lamely. Allison bounced over, and for the first time, I appreciated her babbling.

"Oh, my gosh! Hi, Lissa! I didn't know you knew Nick! Isn't that just totally ironic that you guys met here? How funny! Haha! Where did you guys meet each other? It must have been a long time ago…"

She said more, but I wasn't listening. I was trying to find means of escaping. I was about fifty feet from the closest exit. Someone would notice me trying to escape by the time I got there. There weren't any windows, and even if there were, an up-and-away would be too risky with all these people. I'd just had to tough through this one.

"So, Lissa, what were you doing here?" I asked casually, interrupting Allison's babbling. Lissa looked from Allison to me.

"I got transferred here after the school got shut down and my dad got fired. We moved over here. It wasn't a far move, so I still keep in touch with most of my friends. Most, except you and your…'_siblings'_." She said siblings coldly and sarcastically. It made me wonder what she knew. "Where _are_ your siblings, anyway? I thought you guys 'stuck together.' " When she said "stuck together" she did that annoying air quotes thing.

"They stayed home," I lied. "I was the only one who got invited to the dance."

"I don't see any of you guys around school. Where are you going?" she asked. I thought for a minute about an answer.

"Oh, he goes here," Allison said. I silently thanked her for intervening once again. "I can't believe you guys haven't crossed paths! He's been going here for two years!"

Lissa raised her eyebrow sceptically. "I think I'd know if he'd been going to this school for two years," she said, talking to Allison now. Lissa looked back at me. I rolled up my sleeve, realized I didn't actually had a watch, rolled it back down, and turned to Allison.

"Look at the time. Allison, you're mom's gonna be pissed if I didn't get you back before ten." I grabbed her hand in mine and dragged her across the gym. "Great seeing you again, Lissa."

Once we were safely out of the school and sliding into Allison's mom's car, I said, "That was way too close."

Allison smiled at me, buckling up her seatbelt. "I thought it was a great night." I smile to myself. Good

At least someone did.


	11. Chapter 11

**Squee! Two chapters in one day! I'm sorry, you guys. I admit I've been holding these back. Mostly cause I finished them both this morning and due to the dial-up-but-not-really connection, I've avoided posting them until now. So, enjoy. And I'm really sorry in advance to those of you who hate me forever for this chapter. If you hate me forever, or love me forever, whatever, feel free to review! Cause then I'll love you forever.**

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Chapter Eleven

**Max**

I got up the next morning feeling like crap. I was so tired. I'd slept fine, too. But I was still really tired. I slipped into some sweats and a baggy t-shirt, ran my fingers through my hair a few times, and stepped out of my room, headed for the kitchen.

Iggy was there, as usual, and I was sad to see that he still looked depressed as ever. The kid was really starting to worry me. Dylan was also there, sitting at the table, his hands woven into his hair. When he heard me come in, he whipped around and jumped to his feet.

"Max!" he gasped. "Um…" he ran his hand through his hair nervously. I walked right up to him and stared him in the eyes.

"What's up, Dylan?" I asked. He was acting suspiciously. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around the room, anywhere but at me.

"Max, um, I don't know how to say this…" He hesitated, and I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Um, I don't think…I don't think it's working out," he said finally. My other eyebrow joins the first to push their way into my hairline.

"What?" I said, trying to understand what he meant. "What's not working out?"

"Being here, with the flock. Max…you and I both knew that I don't belong here."

Were he talking to anyone else, he'd get a bunch of protests. "No, of course you belong here!" and "What were you talking about? You're like family!" But not with me. So all I said was, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know yet," he confessed, still avoiding my gaze. "I was thinking maybe I'd go off, start a flock of my own—"

"With who, Dylan?" I asked sharply, cutting him off. "We're the only bird kids on the planet."

"Maybe I just want to live life my way, okay!" he shouted. I must have hurt him. He hardly ever lashed out like that. I put my hand on his face, turning it so he'd look at me.

"Okay," I said when I'd securely grabbed his attention. I could see his eyes turning glossy with moisture. "Just remember that if it doesn't work out, you can still come back."

Then I stood way up on my tip-toes, until he was at eye-level.

And then I kissed him.

He kissed me back. It was gentle and plain, nothing like what I'd had with Fang, back when he was still here. There was nothing in it. No passion, no desire, no love. It was an empty kiss.

Dylan released me, taking two steps back. His face was flushed.

"Thank you," he said. He walked past me into the living room toward the door. I turned to see him off, but just as he reached out to turn doorknob, he dropped to the floor soundlessly. For half of a second, I was shocked silent. Then I came to my senses and dropped to the ground beside him. I grabbed his arm and checked his wrist for a pulse.

"Guys!" I hollered as I did that. "Someone! Get over here, quick!"

Nudge and Angel sprinted down the hallway, obviously sensing my hysteria.

"What happened?" Nudge asked, sitting down beside me.

"I—I don't know! He just dropped!" I explained. Gazzy and Iggy also joined us in the living room. "He doesn't have a pulse!"

"Quick," Iggy said, dropping down beside us. "Help me roll him over."

Nudge and I did as we were told, rolling Dylan onto his stomach. Iggy pushed the hair on the back of Dylan's neck away and the five of us gasped simultaneously. Sure enough, Iggy had guessed right. There, on the back of Dylan's neck, were the figures that could only mean he'd expired. Nudge's eyes were welling up with tears, and her hand was clasped tightly over her mouth. Angel was kneeling across from me, holding Dylan's limp hand and biting hard into her lower lip, while Gazzy wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders.

Iggy was crouched near Dylan's left thigh, not reacting at all. I started to wonder if emotions had become too painful for him, as they had for me, and he'd given up on displaying them. Again, I felt bad for him. And, somehow, guilty. I couldn't figure out why, but I felt responsible for everything that happened to everyone in the last couple of years.

I really wished Fang were here to make it right.

But he wasn't. And I had to live with the fact that he'd found a better life. Something better than us. Something he really wanted. And we were left to hope for something even better.

Unfortunately, we still weren't getting it.


	12. Chapter 12

**OH MY GOD I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MY WEEKEND BUT WRITE THIS STORY! And neglect my homework, but that's not important ;) Anyway, here's chapter twelve, the third chapter I've posted today. Feel free to review. Or not. It doesn't matter. I don't really care. Though I value each and every review I receive and store them in a very special place in my heart and my inbox. I haven't mentioned it in a while so just to remind you, I _still_ don't own Maximum Ride or any characters, settings, brand-names, or ideas there-in.**

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Chapter Twelve

**Fang**

I got in the driver's side of Allison's mom's car and Allison slipped in beside me. Allison and her mom had insisted that I learn to drive a car because it was a "useful skill to have, with or without a vehicle." I decided it wasn't a good time to mention that I had driven before, even if it was only in a car we'd assembled from various pieces of scrap metal.

I also didn't mention that driving is useless when you have means of flying instead.

So I learned to drive and used this new-found skill to drive Allison around. No, she couldn't drive. Why? Because she kept failing the stupid test. She hated it when I passed on my first try.

I sped through the darkened city streets, heading back for Allison's house before we got attacked by Whitecoats. But I was also stressed and relatively pissed, which made my hands gripped the wheel so tightly that my knuckles were white.

"Fang?" came Allison's tentative voice from beside me. I turned my head briefly to look at her. She was staring out the window.

"Yeah?" I said, looking back at the road.

"Do you ever miss them?" she asked. She paused, then added, "The flock, I mean."

I took a deep breath. If I was going to spill my feelings to anyone, I'd want it to be Allison. As much as she loves to talk, she's also really good at listening. I saw her turn to look at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Yeah," I said finally. "I do. A lot, actually. They're my family."

"Then why did you leave?" she asked, even though I'd answered this question for her a thousand times.

"Because sometimes you have to make sacrifices for people you love," I said, frustration tainting my voice. Allison reached over and put her hand on my thigh.

"You should go back," she said simply. "I've been hanging around you for two and a half years and nothing bad has happened to me. Nothing bad has happened to you, and nothing bad has happened to my mom. Maybe it's actually safe now. Maybe it's time to go back and be with your family again."

As wrong as it seemed, Allison was right. Nothing had happened to me in two and a half years. Maybe the kids had been successful in ending Itex's rein once and for all. And I really wanted to go back to the flock. I wanted to take on the roll I'd had before, like I'd never even left.

But that would never happen. Not as long as I actually had left. Max would be beyond pissed if I came back, and, as much as I hated to admit it, Dr. Häagen-Dazs was right. Dylan was Max's other half. And they probably had—shudder—_mated_ with each other, in his words.

That didn't matter to me, though. Max could do whatever she wanted with Mr. Perfect. But I still had to go back as long as I was alive enough to do it.

"If they really love you—which they do—they'll take you back," Allison said, answering the main question that my inner turmoil revolved around. She really was right. I should go back. "And even if they don't take you back, which I'm not saying they will, you can always come back here."

I stopped at the red light in front of us. I saw Allison's face turn slightly pink out of the corner of my eye. What I didn't see coming was when she clicked off her seatbelt, leaned over, and pecked her lips against mine. But just as quickly as the kiss had started, Allison pulled away, sat back down, and put her seatbelt back on like nothing had happened.

I smiled, but only on the inside.


	13. Chapter 13

**Four today? God! Someone give me something to do with my life! I'm so boring! TT_TT I love that you guys enjoyed chapter...eleven. A lot of the reviews I got on that were like "Yes! Dylan is dead! Huzzah!" So I hope you guys keep reading and enjoying and stuff.**

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Chapter Thirteen

**Max**

Jeb had always told us that you can't win them all. I knew it was true, but I didn't quite understand why we didn't seem to win any of them. Just when things were starting to get back to normal in the flock, Dylan drops dead in the living room. I only wished that _something_ good could happen in our life. Just one time.

I suddenly felt a hand touch my arm.

"Max?" said Gazzy voice from beside me. "Why is it always the bad things that happen to us?" Mixed feelings passed through me. I was sad because I didn't want the rest of the flock worrying about what was going to happen next. I did enough of that for all of us. And I was also frustrated because it was true. Barely anything good ever happened to this family.

"That's not true," I told him while wracking my mind for something good that had happened recently. I was coming up blank.

"Of course not," Iggy said from across the room. For a second I thought he might be saving me, but then I noticed the heavy bitterness in his tone. He slowly stepped toward us. "Just because we're winged freak shows, there are thousands of evil scientists trying to capture and dissect us, and people have recently started to enjoy ditching or dying on us, that doesn't make everything bad." He flopped down on his back on the couch, covering his eyes with his arm. "Oh, wait," he added. "Yes it does."

I scowled at him. His bitter depression was really starting to get on my nerves. I mean, it's okay for a little while, but two and a half years? It was getting ridiculous.

"At least we still have the five of us!" I all but screamed at him. "That should be enough!"

I stormed out of the room and down the hall to my room, slamming the door behind me. I flopped face-down on my bed. Almost instantly, there was a light tap on my door.

"Go 'way!" I shouted directly into my mattress. I heard the door click open anyway and someone sat down on my bed.

"Max?" Nudge's voice said gently. I rolled over and sat up.

"He can't be like this forever," I told her. She bit her full lip.

"I know," she said solemnly. "I think, though, that it's his way of dealing with it."

"What?" I asked. She'd lost me there.

"I mean, Fang was, like, his best friend," Nudge continued. "He's probably feeling so…messed up inside that all his mind can do is try to release some of the emotion by being mad at everyone."

I raised an eyebrow at Nudge. "Since when did you get into psychology?" I asked her. She smiled and turned away from me, her cheeks flushing slightly. She recovered quickly and looked back at me.

"You know, it's kind of the opposite of what you're doing about it," she added. "Instead of letting out your emotion, you're ignoring it, acting like there's nothing wrong around here at all."

I bit down on my cheek. "That's not true," I said. "I know something's wrong, I just try to make sure everyone else around here feels differently about it. Gazzy thinks that only bad stuff happens to us! That's the last thing I need! I don't want the younger kids to feel like—"

"That's another problem," Nudge interjected. I was unhappy that she'd interrupted me, but I let her continued. "You keep treating us—Gazzy, Angel…even Iggy and me sometimes—like we're little kids! That's not true anymore! Iggy's _eighteen _now, Max. And I'm fifteen! And as much as I know you refuse to believe it, even Gazzy and Angel are old enough to deal with the things that we've been dealing with for our whole lives without the protection you've always given them." She took a breath and stared me straight in the eyes. "Face it, Max. We're independent now."

I had nothing to say to that. I was honestly shocked silent. Nudge never talked back to me like that. She'd always been _my_ Nudge. The one I could always count on to take my side. Maybe it was just proof that what she was saying was true. The flock really _was_ growing up and making their own decisions. That was a lot to take in for one day. Almost like she was reading my mind, Nudge stood up and walked out of the room. I rolled over on my side and fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Five! Wah! My life is so lacking in entertainment! Plus it's only 5:47 PM and it's pitch black outside TT_ TT Oh, well. I love writing this, so it's no big deal. Anyway, on with the story! SQUEE! I LOVE THIS ONE *ᴥ* Please enjoy and stuff.**

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Chapter Fourteen

**Fang**

I'd grabbed everything I might need and laid it out on my desk. I'd always had a little bag of things, just in case I had to make a quick middle-of-the-night escape. I'd never had to. Until now, that is.

I had a pen and paper on the desk, too. I'd planned to write a little note, just like I always did (I'd done this way too often for it to be healthy). But suddenly, just before I'd started to write, something inside me just felt wrong. Something said to me that this was no way to thank the people who had housed you for almost three years. So I made a decision.

I'd face the Neills and tell them I was leaving. For real.

It was about mid-day. I figured that gave me enough time to get at least half-way back to my old place in Colorado. It was Saturday, so Allison was at home, as well as Mrs. Neill. I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed down the stairs to the kitchen, where Allison and her mother were eating lunch.

Or so I thought. Instead, the two women were standing in the middle of the room, staring at me as I walked through the doorway. They were smiling, but it didn't touch their eyes. It only made me feel worse about what I was about to do.

"Nick," Allison's mother said, arms extended. She took a few steps toward me, and I reluctantly allowed her to wrap me in a motherly embrace. Which wasn't all that bad. I'm just not into the whole hugging concept.

Allison was next to step toward me. She didn't hug me, though. Just held my shoulders and stared straight into my eyes.

"You're really gonna do it, huh?" she said. I sighed, closing my eyes. They weren't making this any easier.

"I have to," I reminded her. She nodded and turned, rejoining her mother.

"Nick, you know we hate to see you go," Mrs. Neill said. I nodded.

"I know," I agreed. "I hate to go."

"But we understand that you have to go and make something of yourself, since you were never given that opportunity." She reached behind her and pulled something out of her pocket. She stepped toward me again, took my hand, and dropped a tiny black form in it. I stared stupidly at the object, unsure what to make of it. I'd never had one. I didn't think I'd even seen one. And now someone had dropped one in my hand. I looked back up at Mrs. Neill for help.

"It's a phone," she explained, though I already knew that. "We were hoping to give it to you for your birthday in a couple months, but when Allison told me that were planning on leaving, we couldn't wait." She beamed widely at me and I sort-of-half-smiled back.

"Thanks," I said. Allison stepped forward again, and this time, she did hug me. I'm not sure if it was because she wanted to, or just so she could whisper in my ear.

"I got one of the tech nerds at school to program it so that it can't be tracked," she breathed. "For a small fee. Please use it."

She stepped back, gave me a pleading look, and stepped back toward the island. I could tell by her tone and expression that the fee was a lot more than small. I just hoped that the payment had consisted of money and not her body.

"You guys have been so great to me for the past three years. Really. And I couldn't ask for a better family to take care of me when I needed it," I said. Mrs. Neill wiped her eyes with her finger. "But I've accepted your hospitality for far too long already. I have to fulfill my purpose. I won't promise I'll be back, but I will try if possible."

Mrs. Neill was frowning, but Allison smiled, knowing this was the closest thing to a guarantee she was going to get from me. I slipped the little phone in my bag and headed for the door. The Neills followed closely on my heels. I stood on the driveway and glanced up and down the street. There was no one in sight.

"Thanks again, Mrs. Neill," I repeated. "And it was really nice going to school with you, Allison. But now…" I shrugged and let my wings unfold for the first time in way too long. "I gotta fly."

I winked at Allison, jumped a bit, and took off into the sky. God, it felt good to be flying again. I could just imagine the looks of shock on Allison and Mrs. Neill's faces. That thought brought me all the way to the edge of Colorado when I realized that it was dark out and I should land for the night. It was a good plan, and ordinarily I would have obeyed my thoughts. But something made me keep going. I couldn't explain it very easily. It was like a string was attached to my body and it pulled me forward. It was like my instinctual sense of direction almost, only more forceful.

I was so driven by the force that I didn't realize until I almost ran straight into it that I'd reached the house where I'd lived, still secluded in the middle of nowhere, just the way Max liked it.

And I was right in front of her bedroom window.

I jiggled it silently until the latch gave and I slipped in as quietly as I could.


	15. Chapter 15

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Kay! Here's chapter fifteen! Things are getting kinda...serious between Max and Fang. Sorry if I scare you or anything. Just enjoy if you want. If not, that's okay, too ;)

**I still don't own Maximum Ride. Thanks for reminding me.**

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Chapter Fifteen

**Max**

I had been sleeping restlessly since Nudge left, waking up every so often to nightmares similar to the ones I'd been having for almost a year. I couldn't take this much longer.

I'd just started to finally fall asleep again when I thought I heard a thump. My eyes shot wide open and I looked around my vicinity. I saw nothing. I was about to go back to sleep again when a cold wind rushed over me.

And I realized that I hadn't left my window open.

I sat up on my knees and looked around the window. I couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" I asked quietly. I didn't want to wake anyone else over nothing. I glanced back and forth around that side of my room, all my senses on full alert. I was about to give up and confess that it had been my imagination when something touched my shoulder and I nearly jumped clear through the ceiling.

When I landed I whipped around so fast I'm surprised I didn't get whiplash. I was shocked silent when I saw that the person who had touched me was Fang, standing right there behind me.

I wanted to yell at him. To tell him how much hell he'd put us all through, and how much trouble he was in for ditching us. I wanted to do all that, but I didn't. I just sort of stifled a shriek and collapsed in his arms, sobbing.

"Aren't you mad at me?" he asked. I clenched my fists against his chest.

"Oh, I'm so mad at you," I said, my voice getting muffled by his shirt.

"Then why aren't you yelling at me?"

"Because I'm gonna be happy that you're back first," I explained. "Then I'll get mad at you."

Fang bent down and dug his nose into my head. "Hey, fine by me," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice as he kissed the top of my head. I looked up at him and his lips touched mine briefly, sending a shock through my body.

"Enjoy it while you can," I told him. This time his lips stayed pressed against mine and I let him deepen the kiss. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so good. Even though I knew I was supposed to be super pissed at him, I still couldn't help but enjoy the sensual pleasure of Fang's being.

He wrapped me tightly in his arms, still kissing me gently. I tilted my head slightly and he deepened the kiss. I'd missed being with Fang so much it had hurt. Now, being able to sense him through every one of my senses—touch, sound, sight, smell, and even taste—it was almost overwhelming. Scratch that, it was overwhelming. But I wasn't about to give it away. I felt Fang's hands feel around my back and sneak up inside my shirt. He felt around my waist, his fingers memorizing the curves I'd developed since he'd left. I couldn't help but let a tiny moan escape from my mouth. His body felt so good pressed against mine.

He shimmied my shirt over my head, managing to only break the kiss for a fraction of a second. I moved my hands along his chest, undoing the buttons and sliding it off his arms. He moved his hands up to my bra and barely even touched the clasp before it snapped apart. I broke the kiss and rested my head against his chest—was it possible that he'd grown while he was gone?

"Where did you get so good at that?" I asked him and he stiffened.


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter's a little heavy, so if you're a little squeamish, you might not want to read this chapter. It's okay to skip it. It's pretty short anyway, so you're not missing much. Things will probably still make sense in the next chapter, which I'll try to post really fast so that we don't have that problem.**

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Chapter Sixteen

**Fang**

I'd forgotten how great it felt to have Max pressed against me, her lips on mine. But I almost forgot everything that had been going through my brain when Max asked that horrible question:

"Where did you so good at that?"

I could almost feel my face catching on fire. I'd hoped she just wouldn't notice. Like I'd ever had that kind of luck.

Here's how I actually got good at it:

…_.Back in the Neill household…._

_There was a light knock on my door._

"_Fang?" Allison's voice called from beyond it. She turned the knob and peered into my room._

"_Yeah?" I said. Allison stepped into the room, taking my response as an invitation to enter._

"_Um, can you help me with something?" she asked hesitantly. I shrugged._

"_Sure, what is it?"_

"_Could you…um…unhook my bra for me?" she asked. I shrugged again._

"_Sure." Allison smiled at me and turned around, giving me her back. She lifted up her shirt. I fiddled with the back while she explained that her arms were way too short to do it herself. I personally didn't care. It didn't remotely bother me. I fiddled with the strap for a moment and then it popped open. Allison dropped her shirt over her back, turned, and beamed at me._

"_Thanks, Fang!" she said."You're the greatest!"_

_That ritual repeated throughout most of the time I spent at the Neill house. I'd gotten really good at unclipping bras it that time. My thoughts jumped to Max. I hoped she wouldn't find this wrong._

"It's a guy thing," I explained to her coolly. Max looked at me, raised one eyebrow, then kissed me again.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'm not gonna question natural guy instincts."

She started kissing me again. It was fierce and passionate; they basically defined Max herself. I backed her up until the backs of her knees bumped into her bed and she fell over. She landed smoothly on her back, and I landed gingerly on top of her, careful not to hurt her. I finished stripping her of her clothes as I did the same with mine. Now all that was left was Max, the girl I'd loved for four years—maybe more—and all her raw beauty.

"I'll never leave you again," I whispered in her ear.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello! Sorry about the last chapter for those of you who skipped it. For those of you who liked it, you're welcome!**

**Do not own Maximum Ride (Very sad, I know). This chapter is rated strictly PG for some minor language.**

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Chapter Seventeen

**Max**

When I woke up with Fang still beside me, I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything that we'd done the night before had been real, despite the fact that It had been so perfect I'd been certain it was a dream. I rolled onto my side and touched his shoulder, warm and beautifully sculpted. But the moment I did, all the memories came rushing back into my head. How he'd abandoned us, how he'd lied to me, how everything awful that could possibly happen other than our house being destroyed by some School device had happened, and how I hadn't done anything about that last night. Instead I'd just had super amazing sex with the guy.

I jumped to my feet and wrapped my naked and slightly freezing body in my robe. I stalked over to where he was lying in my bed and glared down at him. His eyes peeled open and he looked up at me.

"Guess what?" I asked rhetorically. "It's tomorrow, and I'm not happy."

Fang mumbled a curse and sat up, preparing to face my wrath. I glared at him and he stared at me, not the least bit fazed. That was the worst part about Fang. I couldn't scare him the way I could scare everyone else.

"I can't believe you abandoned us," I finally said, my fierce stare not once faltering. "How could you do it? What thought process was going through your head when you decided this was okay?"

"The thought that it would help you live into your twenties," he explained. I had nothing to say about that. I was officially rendered speechless.

"Listen, Max," he continued. "We all knew that whatever was attacking us was looking for me. This was my battle. I wasn't about to let you or anyone in the rest of the flock die because you were trying to fight in _my_ war."

"We're your family, Fang," I reminded him. "Of course we're going to fight your wars! That's what a family does! When one of us is in trouble, we're all in trouble! Together!" I choked on tears and I swallowed hard so I could speak again. I added, softly and almost to myself, "As a family."

"But maybe I'm not ready to risk your lives on behalf of mine," he said. I bit my lip.

"Well, the five of us are!" I told him. Fang's brow furrowed and I realized I'd said the five of us.

"Who are the five?" he asked. I looked down at the floor.

"Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Angel, and I," I explained solemnly. "Dylan…expired a couple of weeks ago."

Fang looked at me, his face a blank slate. "Really?" he finally said. He stood up and hugged me. I noticed that he was wearing jeans. "Oh, Max, I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I would have come back right away."

This sentence got my blood boiling again. I pushed away from him. "Well, you could have known if you'd left me some kind of contact information!" I shouted. "But no! Instead you just leave me with one stupid little note about how you were ditching us!"

I was about to go on when I heard a light tap against my door.

"Max?" Angel's voice came through the wood. "Is that you? Are you okay? Who are you talking to?"

Crap. I was busted. I hurried over to the door and opened it to see Angel, accompanied by Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy.

"Good morning," I said pleasantly. Angel didn't smile.

"Who's in there?" she demanded. "I already know, I just want to hear it from you. And I'm sure they do, too." She nodded her head behind her at the other three. Her attitude lately was really starting to annoy me.

"And if I don't tell you?" I asked. Angel glared at me.

"I'll be mad at you forever and never ever forgive you from trying to hide the most important re-encounter of my life from me," she said, giving me a no-nonsense glare. I sighed. There was no arguing with Angel when she was determined to have her way.

"Fine. I—"

I was about to confess what I was hiding when Fang walked up behind me and covered my mouth with his hand.

"I came back this morning and she was mad at me for leaving," he said, lying easily. He uncovered my mouth and turned my face toward him. "I'm sorry again, by the way. I was just trying to let you live."

Nudge squealed and jumped at Fang. "Oh, my God! You actually came back! I can't believe it!"

Angel was quick to follow Nudge's lead. Gazzy and Iggy, on the other hand, said nothing. They just stood there like statues. I could see tears welling up in Gazzy's eyes. But Iggy looked completely indifferent. When Nudge and Angel were done, they left back to their room, Gazzy close on their heels. Once they were out of earshot, Iggy glared in Fang's direction, his appearance so fierce it scared me.

"You bastard," he hissed before stalking down the hall to the front door and jumping off the porch.

"Iggy, come back here!" I hollered after him. I was about to jump off the porch after him when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder.

"No," Fang said. I looked at him, but his gaze was following Iggy's path. "Let me get him. It's my fault he left. I'll get him back."

I sighed. Just when I thought we could all be happy again…

No, who was I kidding. I never once believed we could all be happy. Our lives had been screwed up before. Fang leaving just made it worse. I looked into Fang's eyes.

"Okay," I said. He gave me his half smile and I felt myself melting on the inside. Then he stood up on the rail and jumped out, letting the air catch under his wings.

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Kay, so I may not do this very often (i.e. _ever_) but I got so many lovely reviews that I just really wanted to. So…thanks to:

**f3y-chan**

**A.I.T.W**

**Blackice1234**

**Lizziekaeroks77**

**The Storytelling machine**

**Cadisha Ora Rhaksha Caden**

**straylighter**

**Flowerchild22**

**Chocogirl124**

**lonewolfrox624**

**NightOwlGirl**

**Kay! That covers every single review I've gotten on this story (I told you I kept them in a special place in my inbox and heart ;]) Y'all are awesome! Please keep reading and enjoying!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi! I'm sorry I'm lazy and haven't updated yet. I'm kinda burnt from the whole Seven-Chapters-In-One-Weekend thing. But here's eighteen. I hope you're not mad at me or anything **

**:(**

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Chapter Eighteen**

**Fang**

I knew I'd screwed up bad. I didn't need the constant reminded. But I knew it would be a while before they started to let up. I found Iggy in the woods in a tree about a mile out. His legs were pulled up to his chest and he was glowering at nothing. It was a lot darker under the canopy of the trees. And it was already getting cold in the November air. I landed on the tree limb with him, the tree branch easily holding my wait.

"Hey, Iggy," I said. He jumped and almost missed the branch on the way back down.

"Dammit, Fang! Would it kill you to make some noise!" he screeched. "Anyway, I don't want to talk to you."

"Yeah?" I said, slightly bitterly. "Well, I wanna talk to you." I scowled at him, too frustrated to care that it was wasted. "I know I screwed up, but I fixed it, didn't I? I came back."

Iggy stood up on the branch. His flawless balance surprised me. "If you think you've solved all our problems just by showing up again, you're even dumber than I thought." With that, he jumped off the tree branch and flew off toward the house. I stayed on in the tree.

He was right, despite how much that pissed me off. Coming back didn't change the fact that I'd left in the first place. And yeah, I guess he had a good reason for being pissed at me. I'd screwed up their lives, and then after I left, things only went downhill. How could I have expected them to just welcome me back to the flock after all the crap I'd put them through?

After all this thinking, there was only one thing that I knew for sure anymore: I needed to earn my way back into the flock. And how I was going to do that was beyond me.

I flew back to the house, surprised to see Max standing on the porch. I landed beside her. She didn't look angry, but she didn't look like she was happy either.

"I just wanted to see whether or not you'd actually come back this time," she said. Yep. She was going to hold this against me until the day I died. But all I could think was, was I really surprised? I wouldn't expect any less from Maximum Ride, the girl I knew best, but still didn't understand at all.

"Max, I'm never, _ever_ leaving you again," I promised. That didn't lighten her expression. In fact, she looked even more mad.

"That's what you told me the last time you left and then you left again, Fang! For three years!"

"You know…" I said, preparing for an argument. Then something in my mind clicked and I changed my mind. "You're right. You can't trust me when I tell you I'm not going to leave again. Because I might leave again," I agreed. I gave her a fierce look. "But the next time I do, it'll be in a wooden box."

I saw her shiver at the thought of me being dead. I knew how it felt. That's what I'd spent the last three years picturing whenever I thought about Max. I walked into the bathroom, knowing that was the only place I could get a little privacy, locked the door, and pulled out my new cell phone. I figured out how to access the directory after twenty minutes of fiddling and found the number I'd been looking for.

"Hello?" Mrs. Neill said on the other line.

"Mrs. Neill?" I asked. "It's Nick. How are you?"

"Nick!" Mrs. Neill gasped. "It's so good to hear from you! I take it you got home safe?" she asked. I smiled. Her motherly instinct always triggered something inside of me that made me feel…loved.

"Yep, safe and sound," I told her. I could almost see the smile on her face, making her forehead crease and her eyes crinkle.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "Would you like to speak to Allison?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," I agreed. "Sorry I didn't call as soon as I got home, but I had to do some…catching up with my family."

"Oh, I understand completely. I would expect nothing else," she said knowingly. "I'll go get Allison for you." The phone was silent for a minute, then I heard a muffled, _"Allison, telephone!"_ before there were two clicks; One, I assumed, was Allison picking up, and the other was Mrs. Neill hanging up.

"Hello?" Allison said into the phone.

"Hey, Allison."

"Oh, my God! Fang! It's you!" she shrieked. I pulled the phone away from my ear. When she was done, I put it back.

"Yeah, it's me. How's stuff?" I asked her.

"Same, pretty much. It's boring with just my mom and I."

Aw, she missed me. How moving.

"I came back to the flock yesterday night," I told her.

"How'd you get in?" she asked.

"I flew in through Max's window."

"Really?" Allison squeaked. "That's so romantic! What did she say?"

I thought for a minute. "First she told me she was mad at me, then we sort of made out."

Allison laughed, a short, shrieking sound. "Really? That's funny."

"Yeah," I said, not really amused but feeling the need to agree with her anyway. "Then we had sex and now she's mad at me again."

Allison made a sound like she was about to laugh again, but then caught in her throat when it was smothered by a gasp. "You did _what?_" she demanded.

"We—"

"No, no. I heard you the first time," she assured me, cutting me off. "I meant why?"

"I dunno, it felt good?" I suggested, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Whatever," she said. "Were you at least safe?"

"Safe how?" I asked her. I heard a slap and imagined her hitting herself in the forehead.

"Like, did you use protection?" she asked. My forehead furrowed. What the hell was she talking about.

"Protection against what?" I asked her. I heard her muffled groan.

"I don't know, maybe against getting her _pregnant_?" she said, sarcasm dripping from her every word. My pulse quickened. Crap, I hadn't even thought of that.

"No," I said. "Do you think that could happen?"

"Do I think it could?" she repeated. "Yes. Do I think it did? Maybe yes, maybe no. Keep an eye on her, though. And feel bad about it, okay?" I could see her brow furrowing and her finger wagging, just like she used to when she wanted me to do something but didn't expect me to.

Great. Now I can screw up Max's life without even thinking about it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry it's been so long since I updated! Like I said, I'm really lazy. So anywho, chapter nineteen. It's really short, but important if you read between the lines.**

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Chapter Nineteen**

**Max**

Fang had been watching me like a hawk watches its prey for two weeks that I'd noticed, but I thought he'd been following me a week or two longer than that also. It had been a little more than a month since Fang had come back. Iggy still wasn't talking much, and Nudge was still talking too much. Angel was quieter than normal, though. And she hadn't tried to take over the flock for a while.

I was seriously annoyed by the stalking by the second week I noticed. I turned around on the couch and glared at Fang, who was leaning over the back of it.

"What are you doing?" I demanded on the fifteenth day of being stalked around the house. Fang jumped, as if being shaken out of a daydream.

"Nothing," he said. I squinted my eyes at him. The liar.

"You're stalking me," I corrected. "Why are you stalking me?"

"I'm not stalking you," he said.

"Yes, you are," I amended again. "And it's annoying. Stop stalking me."

I jumped off the couch and turned around to face him. Then my eyes went all dark and fuzzy. My head swirled and I felt my body sway.

"Max, are you alright?" I heard Fang ask through the ringing in my ears. I felt myself falling. I waited for the impact of the ground, but it never came. I felt nothing as unconsciousness washing over me.

When I came to, I was wrapped in Fang's arms. The rest of the flock was standing around me.

"What happened?" I asked. Fang stroked my hair.

"You fainted, I think," Gazzy whispered. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet since after Fang left. I stood up and immediately clutched my head. My vision spotted again. I felt several hands grab my arms.

"Max, what's the matter?" Fang asked gently. "Is it your voice? Does it still bother you?"

"No," I said. I hadn't heard from my voice much after Fang left. It made me feel kind of empty. I'd sort of grown attached to it, as annoying as it was. "I just stood up too fast, that's all."

Fang gave me an I-Don't-Believe-That-For-A-Second look, but didn't say anything. He walked out of the room, headed for the kitchen. Slowly, the rest of the group distributed themselves around the house.


	20. Chapter 20

**Here! Chapter twenty! It's eight-hundred-and-some words, so that's better, right? Good. Anyway, no more chapters today. I have to work on -shudder- _homework_, so you can just, like, re-read some or something. Whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!**

**Again, I'm, like, super lazy, so let me just throw out there that I _still_ don't own Maximum Ride 'n' stuff, so, like, yeah. Read on!**

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Chapter Twenty**

**Fang**

I'd been watching Max for almost six weeks, just like Allison had told me to. Nothing too weird had happened for maybe a month, then things went really strange. When Max passed out, the first thing I did was check her neck. You know, just in case. If Dylan went not too long ago, who's to say one of us wouldn't?

I let that one go, but then she started getting exhausted all the time. I thought maybe she was coming down with a cold or something. I tried to ignore all the things she was going through as much as I could.

But one thing I couldn't ignore was one morning after five or six weeks since I talked to Allison. I'd been lying in Max's bed next to her. She'd started letting me sleep there instead of the couch shortly after her fainting incident. I was awake, despite the fact that it was only seven in the morning. Max rolled over beside me and jumped to her feet. She raced out of the room. Confused, I followed her. Before I got to the bedroom door, I heard another door slam. I ran out into the hall. The bathroom door was shut, so I figured that's where she was.

"Max?" I said, pounding my fist against the wood. She didn't answer. I listened through the door. I couldn't hear much, but from what I did hear, it sounded like when Allison caught the stomach flu back when I was living with her. I turned the doorknob, but was stopped by Max's voice.

"No! Don't come in!" she pleaded. "Stay out! Please!"

"Max, what's wrong with you? Why can't I come in?" I demanded. There was more retching noises. The door next to me opened and Nudge stepped out.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said. "Max is sick."

"Max, are you alright?" Nudge called through the door.

"Yes, I'm fine," Max said. She didn't sound fine to me, though. "Just please go. I'll be okay."

I sighed. We were getting nowhere standing here and shouting through the door. I looked at Nudge, who copied me and walked back into her room. I headed down the hall for the kitchen. Max may have been chucking up her entire month's supply of food, but I was still starving.

Iggy was in the kitchen, no surprise. He still hadn't said a word to me in a month. I sat down at the table and sniffed the air. Eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice wafted around the room.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, more to see whether or not he'd answer than anything else.

Silence.

"You know," I said nonchalantly, "I understand being mad at me for a little while, but a month and a half is kind of ridiculous."

Iggy's shoulders pulled up toward his jaw. I was getting through to him. Good. "And isn't the silent treatment a little petty?" I continued. "I mean, you'd think that at eighteen you'd know that you can't solve your problems by ignoring them. I thought I'd left Max in better—"

"You abandoned us!" Iggy shouted, turning on me. "We trusted you with our lives and you just threw that aside like yesterday's trash!" I could see Iggy's eyes welling up with tears. If I knew Iggy, which I wasn't sure I did anymore, he would hold them in as long as he could.

"I did it for your own good," I explained calmly. Iggy scowled in my direction.

"Don't give me that bullshit! You did it because you didn't want us!"

"People were trying to kill me! I didn't want you or anyone else to get killed at my expense!" I got to my feet. "It's about time you grew up and learned to do what's best for the family before doing what you want."

Iggy opened his mouth to say more, then closed it again. "Hello, Max," he said. I whipped around. Max was standing in the doorway looking tired.

"Max? Are you okay?" I asked her. She pursed her lips.

"Yeah, I'm just fine," she said bitterly. I sat down and she sat beside me.

"Hungry, Max?" Iggy asked.

"No thanks," Max said. I turned to her and raised an eyebrow, adding my best You-Eat-Three-Thousand-Calories-A-Day-What-Do-You-Mean-You're-Not-Hungry? look. She bit her lower lip avoiding my gaze.

"Max, you can't not eat," I said. She turned and glared at me.

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do!" she shouted. "I'm just not hungry, okay? What's wrong with that?" She wiped at her eyes. "God, why does everyone expect me to be so perfect!" Tears ran down her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Max wiped more tears from her face with her hands.

"Yeah, I fine! God, how many times do I have to tell you?" Max stood up again and stormed out of the room. I rushed after her.

"Max?" I asked her when I got to her. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Max, what's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter. I'm totally okay."

I was going to say more, but she put a finger up. "Excuse me," she said before sprinting down the hall and into the bathroom.


	21. Chapter 21

**Agh! Hi! Sorry it's been so long. I've sort of been busy with homework and stuff. Also, I've kind of been living off of ibuprofen and macaroni, since I just got braces and can't chew, which honestly aren't the brain-food. But here it is. So…yeah…read it 'n' stuff. :D**

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Chapter Twenty-One**

**Max**

God, my life was getting so screwed up. After sprinting into the bathroom to puke my guts up for the second time, I curled up on the floor next to the toilet. I leaned my head against the wall, which felt great against my head. I still didn't understand why I'd started crying in the kitchen. Now my life was so screwed up.

"Max?" Fang called through the door. "Max, I'm coming in."

"No," I protested weakly. He ignored my plea and let himself in.

"Damn, Max, you look like crap," he noted. I glared at him.

"No duh," I said. My stomach flopped and I leaned over the toilet where I puked again. Fang stepped over and pulled my hair back.

"Thanks," I croaked.

"Max, you're sick," he said.

"Again, I say, no duh," I groaned.

"I mean you're really sick and you're not getting better," Fang explained. "If you ask me, you've been going downhill for a month. You should call your mom."

"No!" I gasped. "I can't call her!"

"Why not?"

"Because she's totally not up to date!" I explained. "I haven't talked to her since she ditched us just after you left." I bit down on my tongue as my stomach somersaulted. "She's doesn't know that you're back, she doesn't know that we've made our relationship..._serious_. She doesn't even know that Dylan...expired." God, now I knew why the scientists called it expiration. I couldn't say that Dylan died. Not out loud. Fang sat down on the floor next to me, pulled me into his lap, and wrapped his arms around me. It was comforting to have him so close. I curled up against him.

"Call your mom," he whispered.

"No," I said.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny black cell phone. It was sleek and shiny, and I'd never seen it before. I decided to ask him where he got it later.

"_Yes_," he said, enforcing the word in a way that told me that I didn't have a choice. I sneered at the phone but took it from his hand, flipping it open and dialling the number. It buzzed three times before there was a click and my mother's voice rang through the silence.

"Martinez residence," she said.

"Mom?" I whispered timidly. "It's me, Max."

"Oh, Max! It's so wonderful to hear from you!" she shrieked. "How have you been?"

"I've been okay," I said. "Um, I'm sorry I haven't called in so long. I'm not into phones. I probably should have. A lot of stuff has happened."

"What kind of stuff do you mean?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Um...well...Dylan, um, expired a couple months ago," I started. My mom gasped on the other line, but said nothing, sensing that I had more to say. "Also, um, Fang came back."

"He did?" she gasped again. "Is he there now?"

"Yeah, he's right here," I said, looking up into his eyes. God, they were still really hot. I opened my mouth to speak, but instead dropped the phone and heaved again. Fang grabbed the phone off the floor.

"Hello, Dr. Martinez," he said in his dark, velvety voice. I could hear my mother's shrieking through the phone. "Yes, I know," he said calmly, answering a question my mom had asked him. "Yes, I know. Mm hmm. Yes, I know. No she's being sick right now. Yes. All day. I don't know."

I snatched the phone out of his hand and held it to my ear.

"Hi again," I said.

"Max, are you alright? Fang said you were sick."

"Yeah, I'm fine. But that's kind of why I called you," I explained. "The flock's kind of worried about me since I've been acting kind of weird for a while."

"What does 'acting weird' mean?"

"Um, I get really lightheaded when I stand up most of the time, I actually fainted a couple of times, I seriously have to pee all the time, I've been throwing up all morning, and I started crying randomly when Fang asked me if I was okay."

My mom made a hmm sound on the phone. "That's all?" she checked.

"Yeah," I said after nodding and realizing she couldn't see that.

"Alright. Ella and I will come by as soon as we can," she decided. I was shocked, nearly to silence, at her decision. I didn't want her out here!

"No, Mom! That's really okay. You don't have to come all the way out here. I'm sure I'm fine," I protested. But the only answer I got was the dial tone. I flipped the phone shut.

"She's coming here," I explained solemnly. Fang shook his head.

"When are you going to learn that sometimes it's more important to put your needs before you're paranoia?"

I sighed. Probably never.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey. I know. I suck. I'm so slow. But you know how it is with all the homework. Plus, now I've got laryngitis, which seriously sucks. A lot.**

**This is the first chapter I've written in which I've introduced the POV of a character that isn't Max/Fang. I hope you like it. It's pretty good, so you should ;)**

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Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Dr. Martinez**

I hung the phone up on the receiver, still shocked by all of Max's symptoms. Individually, I would have turned the other cheek. Fainting could simply be explained as low blood sugar. Sudden mood swings, PMS. Vomiting, influenza. But all together they formed a suspicious formula with a questionable solution. I turned to Ella, who was sitting at the island, peeling a banana.

"Ella," I said sharply. "Pack a few changes of clothes. We're going to Colorado."

Ella looked up from her banana. "What for?" she asked, her mouth half full.

"Max needs a quick...check-up," I explained quickly, rushing up the stairs to pack my own clothes. Ella was a few steps behind me. I stuffed some clothes and toiletries into my bag, checked Ella's bag, and tossed them in the car.

"Can I drive?" Ella asked as I closed the trunk.

"Absolutely not, Ella," I said. "Maybe next time. I just don't have time for this right now."

"Why? What's wrong?" Ella asked suspiciously. Ella was training to be an animal doctor as well. This was as good a time as ever to see how much she knew.

"Max is experiencing fainting and dizziness, hyper-active urination, and nausea. What does that sound like, in your opinion?"

"Uh, I dunno," Ella said slowly. This meant she had an idea but was certain it was wrong.

"It doesn't matter what you answer. There is no wrong answer to the question," I prompted as we hopped in the car and I stuck my key in the ignition.

"Well, uh, she sounds like she's...pregnant to me. I don't know," Ella deduced nervously. I closed my eyes. That's what I was worried about.

"That's what it sounds like to me, too," I said. Ella shook her head, watching the road.

"It doesn't make sense, though," she said. "I mean, how could Max be pregnant?"

"Ella, most people can be pregnant," I stated.

"Yeah, but Max is smarter than that. She wouldn't just sleep around like that," Ella reasoned.

"Who's to say that she was sleeping around?" I asked reasonably.

"I...I don't know. I just can't see her being pregnant."

I pulled into my clinic's parking lot. "Just stay here for a second, okay?" I told Ella as I hopped out of the car. Ella nodded.

I ran through the lobby up to my office. I didn't know why I was in such a hurry to get to Max. Maybe I just wanted to get there before dark. I grabbed a few simple things from my office and put them in my travel-bag. I couldn't bring anything useful with me. It was too big and wasn't meant to leave the clinic. I hurried back out to the car and drove over to the drug store down the street.

"What are we here for?" Ella asked me.

"Just a few portable tests. Just in case."

I was in and out with those in a flash, though I did receive a few strange looks from the staff. I started the car up again and jumped on the freeway for Colorado.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hai! I've kind of been going through a brain fart lately (0 inspiration) so, I finally got chapter 32 done, meaning that I could post 23. Ha! 32 is 23 backward! Anyway, here's chapter 23!**

**…which is 32 backward…**

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Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Max**

Fang had continued to insist that I eat something, so he dragged me out of my bathroom sanctuary and into the kitchen. The smell of the food cooking burned my nose and made me feel even worse. Fang seemed to notice my discomfort, because he said, "Go lie down on the couch and I'll get you something light."

I did as I was told, too tired to disagree. Fang returned with some crackers and water. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until he handed me the glass of water. I brought it eagerly to my lips and chugged it down.

"Don't drink it so fast!" came Iggy's startled voice. "You'll just make yourself sick again. The glass was taken away from me by Fang. I pouted at him but he didn't give it back.

"I'm _so_ thirsty," I griped. Nudge, who had come in the room with Iggy, knelt down by my head.

"I know, Max," she whispered calmingly. "But you have to listen to us. Drink it slow, okay? If you drink it slow, you can have some more."

They were talking to me like I was a child. Or an insane person. I kind of felt like both right then, so it didn't really matter. I took my glass back from Fang and sipped it. I wanted so badly to drink it all at once. But I wasn't allowed to. So I co-operated.

Everything I ate that day was pretty much water, crackers, and toast. Boring, but I didn't throw them up so it was good. My mom and Ella didn't get here until about three in the afternoon. When they did, Mom was in a state of panic.

"Hey," I said when I let the ladder down so they could climb up. "How's it going?"

"I'm okay, how are you?" she asked. In most other cases, the question would have just seemed polite, but she seemed panicked so I took it as a real question.

"I'm fine," I told her. "Really. I'm not expiring or anything, I don't think. Fang checks my neck a lot for numbers, so I think I'm surviving."

"If you wouldn't mind, either way, I'd like you to just do one test for me, please," my mom said, calming herself.

"Yeah, sure. I want to find 0ut what's up with me as much as you do, I think."

"Alright," my mom said. She opened a box and pulled out a sticky-jigger thing. "Could you just..."

"She wants you to pee on the stick," Ella said briefly when Mom hesitated. I cocked my eyebrow.

"Pee on a stick?" I said. "Ew. I don't want to pee on a stick."

"You have to if you want to find out what's wrong with you," Mom said. I rolled my eyes and took the sticky-jigger thing.

"Fine. I'll pee on the stick." I headed down the hall to the bathroom, checking out the sticky-jigger thing. There wasn't much to it. Just a stick with a little screen on it. I guessed the results came up there.

I did as I was told and watched the screen before leaving. I wanted to see if I could decipher what it said I had. I waited while it loaded the results, then a little word popped up on the little screen.

**Pregnant**

I stared at the screen for a second. I felt like I was going to be sick again. I washed my hands and clutched the sticky-jigger thing tightly in my fist. I wondered what my mom would say. I'd gotten myself knocked up. Damn Fang. This was his fault. I didn't know the whole science behind pregnancy and sex and stuff. I'd never had to go over it with the kids because no one had asked and it hadn't seemed important at the time. Maybe this was a lesson that I should have taught them.

There was a light tap on the door. "Max?" my mom's voice called through the door. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said, but was betrayed by my own voice when it cracked noticeably. I coughed. "I'm fine," I repeated. I mentally counted how many times I'd said that today. Surprisingly, almost none of them had been true. I wasn't okay. It was time to face that fact. I turned the knob and stepped out of the door. I handed my mom the test and continued down the hall. I collapsed on the couch, clutching my abdomen, and was immediately swarmed by flock members.

"Max," my mom said, joining the swarm around me. I felt so caged in. I didn't like it. "It's going to be okay. Really. Nobody loves you any less because of this, okay? You don't have to worry. It will be okay."

I buried my face in the cushions. "No, it won't," I mumbled into the fabric. "I screwed up, big time. I know."

Mom put her hand on my shoulder. "Max, this doesn't change the way I, or anyone else here, feel about you. We're all going to help you get through this.

"Get through what?" Nudge asked finally. All of us had forgotten to tell them.

"Max is going to have a baby."


	24. Chapter 24

**So I finished this one, too! (And I proof-read it!) Aren't I superspeedy! Anywayz, please enjoy 'n' stuff!**

**Oh, yeah. Just FYI, I still don't own Maximum Ride. I swear I'll let you know if my plan to get James Patterson to leave it to me in his will and then kill him becomes successful!**

**Oh, my God. JK! I would never kill James Patterson!**

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**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Fang**

When Dr. Martinez said that Max was having a baby, all I could think was, Oh, shit. She was going to hate me forever. And she thought she'd screwed up bad? I didn't even think of the possibility of getting her pregnant. It was really my fault we were in this mess. But Dr. Martinez was right. I wasn't going to leave Max, physically or emotionally, to figure this out for herself. I was going to be there the whole way and make it right.

"You're an idiot," Iggy said, talking to Fang. "I can't believe you got her pregnant! It's bad enough you screwed up our lives once! But you just can't stop yourself, can you! It's like it's sort of messed up reflex!"

"Iggy, it's okay!" Max tried to reason. "It's not a screw up, it's a good thing! We'll make it a good thing!"

"Oh, right, as our big, happy family?" Iggy asked sarcastically. He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so."

With that, he walked out of the room. Max dropped her head in hands. That guy just didn't know why to shut his stupid mouth, did he?

"Don't worry about it," I said to Max, sitting next to her and wrapping my arms around her. "We'll make it right. And I'm going to be right here beside you through the whole thing." I kissed her on the forehead. Nudge stepped forward and grabbed Max's hands.

"Max," she said, "I'm really happy for you! I can't believe you're gonna have a baby!" she patted Max's stomach. "Just think. I'll be the first of us to know its parents."

Gazzy was the next to come over to Max. "It'll be really awesome having a baby in the house." He looked over at Dr. Martinez. "Will it have wings like us, or will it just be regular?"

Dr. Martinez smiled. "I don't know. We'll be able to find out in a few months, though."

Angel didn't say anything, but she looked fondly at Max's stomach. She hadn't been very talkative since I got back. It was really surprising, actually. Almost unnerving. I looked over at Ella. She hadn't said anything yet, but she was staring after Iggy. I knew the look in her eyes. It was the same thing I'd seen in Max's, and even my own eyes, admittedly.

Angel stepped forward finally. She didn't look at Max's face, only at her stomach. "Who's its daddy?" she asked shyly. "I mean, it has to have a daddy, right?"

"Of course it has to have a daddy," Dr. Martinez said. "Hasn't anyone ever talked to you guys about reproduction?"

"Well, nobody told me," Max said. "And I never told them. It seemed unimportant. I didn't think we'd ever really have to worry about it."

Dr. Martinez looked expectantly at Max. "The dad is Fang, I guess. Who else?" she said.

"Dylan?" Nudge suggested. Max made an ew face. I shuddered.

"Iggy?" Gazzy said with a smirk.

"Ew! Gross! No way!" Iggy, who turned out not to be far down the hall, shrieked. Gazzy burst in to laughter. I rolled my eyes.

"You guys are dorks," Max said. Then she looked toward the hall. "And you; I am not ew!"

"Yeah, you are," he said, popping his head around the corner and grinning ear to ear. Who knew that all it took to lift people's spirits was a little bit of drama?

"Now," Dr. Martinez said in a Back-To-Business way. "I don't want you to be alone here while you're pregnant." It still felt weird to have people say that.

"She wouldn't be alone," Gazzy said. "She'll have the five of us!"

"Yes, well, I mean no one she can contact if something goes wrong," the doctor explained. "I want her to come live with me again."

"No way!" I said standing up. "I'm not leaving her!"

"Oh, of course not!" Dr. Martinez said. "You and anyone else is welcome to join me at my house."

Max stood up and put a hand on my arm. "Fang, I want you to stay here," she said. I stared at her.

"What?" I said. "I'm not staying here while you're in Arizona being...like...pregnant and stuff!"

"Fang," she said again, her eyes pleading. "I need you to stay and watch the house. With Gazzy and Angel."

"What?" Gazzy shrieked. "I don't wanna stay here! Lame!"

"Too bad. I'm the boss and you and Angel are staying here," Max ordered. Gazzy pursed his lips, but gave up on changing her mind. "Besides," she continued, looking back at me. "It's only for a little while. I promise that I'll call you in...about four months. Then you can come and live with me and Ella and my mom. Okay?"

I took a deep breath. "Fine," I agreed finally. "But if anything goes wrong..."

"I'll call you right away," she finished. She grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them, looking up at my eyes. "It's going to be fine. I promise. I sighed. She could go ahead and promise that as much as she wanted.

That wouldn't make it come true.


	25. Chapter 25

**Snow Day! Well, if you count the fact that the buses aren't running and my mom's too lazy to drive me to school in the foot of snow a snow day, than that's what it is! Good thing is I have a bunch of time to work on my story! Yay!**

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Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Max**

Please don't be mad at me for my decision-making skills. I needed Fang to stay at the house, and having Gazzy and Iggy in the same house would stress me out to death, and I really didn't want Angel telling me that she should be the leader because I was so vulnerable.

"You know, you make a good point," Angel said. "You really are kind of vulnerable, and we need a strong, capable leader to run this flock—"

My hands flew to my forehead. "Angel, I do _not_ want to hear it! Tell you what. If Fang _and_ Gazzy die, then you're in charge, okay?" I reasoned. Angel seemed pleased for a second, then she clued in.

"Wait, who would I be leader of if Gazzy and Fang were both dead?"

"I have to go pack," I said, ignoring her. I stood way up on my tip-toes and kissed Fang on the cheek. "I promise everything will be fine. I'll call you every night," I promised. I hurried into my room, assembled a bunch of my clothes in a suitcase that my mom had given to me. Stuffed it full with clothes and a couple things I usually kept on hand. I zipped it shut and hauled it out into the living room. Fang snatched it out of my hands.

"I'll get it for you," he said, pulling it to the porch, jumping off, and floating down to the ground.

"You know," my mom said, "That never ceases to amaze me." I smiled at her, headed for the porch, and jumped off myself. Fang caught me just before I landed.

"These are going to be the longest four months of my life," he whispered as he pulled me against his body. "I'm going to miss you so much."

I hugged him. "I'll miss you, too," I answered. He put his hand against the back of my head and brought my lips to his.

"I'm so, so sorry," he whispered. "I can't believe how...stupid I am for letting this happen."

"This isn't your fault," I assured him. "And it doesn't matter. We'll get through it together. You, me, and the rest of the flock. We're gonna be one family again. And soon enough there'll be seven of us." I patted my stomach. Fang looked at my hands nervously. I'd never seen him look so unsure about anything in his life. "I promise. We'll make this work."

I took his hands in mine and put them on my stomach. "Together," I repeated. He nodded.

"Together," he said.

I smiled and pecked his forehead again. "Good. I gotta go now. I'll call you as soon as we get there," I promised. I turned back to the house. "Iggy! Nudge! Get your butts down here!" I hollered. Sure enough, Iggy and Nudge rushed out of the house with their bags and landed beside me. Fang flew back up and helped Ella and my mom with the ladder. They climbed down. We all got into my mom's van and prepared for the trip home, with Fang, Gazzy, and Angel waving from the porch.

Most of the time it was really awkward. Ella and my mom kept glancing at me in the mirror. I just smiled weakly and waved. Finally Ella broke the awkward silence.

"So, Iggy," she said. "How's...y'know, stuff?"

Iggy looked surprised that Ella had addressed him directly. "Um...stuff's...okay," he said hesitantly. "You know, it's been kind of messed up for a while and what not, but other than that..." he paused, searching for words. "Stuff's good."

Ella turned around in her seat and smiled at him, then realized he couldn't see her. Her smile disappeared and she turned back around.

"Have any new boyfriends?" I asked her. She smiled.

"Nah, I'm not into the whole boyfriend thing," she said. "It's just not me."

I thought I saw Iggy bite his lip, but I couldn't be sure. "That's interesting."

"Obviously you and Fang have gotten pretty...serious," she said. My face burned red. I glanced down to my stomach.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," I said self-consciously. "We didn't really plan for this to happen or anything, though." I smiled sheepishly. "It was kind of a...surprise."

"Well, I'm really happy for you," she said. "I'm sure you're gonna be a great Mom. As long as you don't miscarry or anything like that," she added. I cocked an eyebrow.

"As long as I don't what?" I asked. My mom was giving Ella a fierce look, but she ignored it.

"Oh, if you miscarry, that means that the baby dies before it's born," Ella said. I looked at her, shocked, and clutched at my stomach. "There's a higher chance that you will, due to your...condition. We don't know what could happen."

"Ella Jane Martinez!" my mom said, slamming her hands on the wheel. "That's quite enough! We don't need to worry Max with things that only might happen!" She glanced at me in the rear-view mirror. "Don't you worry about it, Max. I'm sure everything will be just fine. The chances of a miscarriage are very slim. I didn't tell you because it wasn't important enough to tell you."

I still couldn't settle. I hadn't even imagined that my baby — that still sounded weird to me — could die. But I guess I couldn't be surprised. Everything seemed to die on me.

"So, Ella," Iggy said, breaking the silence Ella's comment had left. "You're not into guys?"

"Oh, well, that's not really what I meant," she corrected. "I'm just waiting for the right guy to come along. Someone strong and nice, who doesn't just like me because of my appearance, but because of what's inside." She turned around in her seat and looked over at me. "You know what I mean?"

I smiled at her. "Yeah, I do."


	26. Chapter 26

**Snow day today. Fun? Not really. I hate winter XP Anyway, in my attempts to avoid getting kicked out into the cold, I wrote up this chapter! I hope you like it. I really do ;D**

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Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Fang**

I still couldn't believe that Max had made me stay in Colorado while she was in Arizona being pregnant with the mess I'd put her in. Of course I wasn't about to tell her that's what I thought about our situation. She'd probably get pissed for calling it a mess. But that's exactly what it was. A great, big mess.

Once everyone who was leaving left in Dr. Martinez's car, I went back inside, sat down on Max's bed, and called Allison.

"Fang?" she said the moment she picked up. My brow furrowed.

"How did you know?"

"Oh, we got caller I.D. last weekend."

What?

"Well, that's great," I said anyway. "But I called for a reason.

"Of course. What's up?"

"I'm kind of in a really huge mess."

"Yeah?" Allison said. "What kind of mess?"

"An I-Got-Max-Pregnant kind of mess," I explained. Allison coughed loudly. I think she choked on something

"Holy crap! Really?" she shrieked. "Huh? What? Oh, just a second." She pulled the phone away from her ear because I could just hear her voice. "It's Nick. His girlfriend is pregnant."

Thanks, Allison. Way to keep this on the down low.

"Sorry, my mom wants to talk to you."

I sighed and waited for Mrs. Neill to come on. "Nick? Tell me what's going on."

"All of it?" I asked. She didn't say anything, so I took it as a yes. "When I got home after three years of absence, I did it with my girlfriend, and then we found out she was pregnant today."

Sure, I skipped over some details, but she got the gist of it.

"Nick, are you sure you can handle this?" she asked. "Because there's always the option of abortion."

"A-what-tion?" I asked.

"Abortion. To have the fetus surgically removed before birth," she explained. I almost laughed out loud.

"No way would Max ever go for that," I said.

"Max is your friend?"

"Max is my girlfriend," I said.

"Oh, Max is a girl." I could just hear Allison's voice in the background saying, "No, Max is a boy. F—Nick's just like that." I did laugh that time at the Fnick thing. It had come up so many times while I was with the Neills'.

"And yes, I can handle it," I assured her. "We have Max's mom, who's really great. She lives over in Arizona, so she's not too far."

"A-alright. Just remember that we're always here for you if you need us."

"Thanks, Mrs. Neill."

"Well, we have to go," she said. "It was lovely talking to you."

"Same to you. I'll call you soon."

"Alright, bye."

I flipped the phone shut and slipped it in my pocket.

"Who's Allison?" a little voice asked from the doorway.

Angel.

"She's a girl," I said.

"Is she your secret girlfriend who you ran away to live with for three years and your two-timing Max with?" Angel asked. I gaped at her.

"What? No! Allison isn't my girlfriend!" I said, trying to keep all thoughts of Allison out of my head. Unsuccessfully. "She's just a friend...who's a girl...who I know."

"You went to a dance with her? Max is gonna be so pissed."

I stood up. "Stay out of my head! Allison is not my girlfriend!" I shouted, chasing Angel out of the room. I got her out of the room and stood in the hallway for a moment.

"She's such a little sneak, isn't she?" Gazzy's voice said from behind me, making me jump.

"A real pain in the a—butt, that's what she is," I corrected.

"Seriously, though. Who's Allison?" Gazzy pried.

"She's the girl I lived with for three years," I said. "She's not my girlfriend. I don't have any feelings like that for her. I went to a dance with her because I wanted to do something nice for her. I never kissed her or anything."

My mind flipped to the time on the way home from the dance when Allison had leaned over and kissed me in the car. From the living room, I heard Angel shout "Liar!" I couldn't get anything past these kids, could I? I'd be dead—or as good as dead, if they told Max anything—by the end of the week.

"We aren't having this conversation. I refuse to talk about it," I declared. "Go work on your homework or something."

"We don't have homework," Gazzy protested.

"Yes, you do. Max left it. It's on the fridge," I said.

"_What_?" Gazzy demanded. "That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair. Do your homework," I said. Gazzy scowled at me, but stormed off to do his homework.

I stepped into the living room and immediately regretted it when Angel ran up to me looking all innocent. I already knew that was a bad sign. But what she asked me was even worse.

"Fang," she said, batting her eyes for dramatic effect.

"Yes?" I said suspiciously.

"Where do babies come from?" she asked. I kept my mind free of any thoughts.

"Well, you see…" I said, thinking hard about an answer. "Um…I don't know, Angel. Why don't you call Max and ask her?"

"You do know, though," she protested. "You put one in Max. Why can't you tell me what you did?"

"Because I don't feel like it," I said, stepping around her toward the couch. I thought about Max and the real "Where do babies come from?" answer. That was the biggest mistake I'd ever made. Well, next to getting Max pregnant.

"Oh, my God!" Angel shrieked. "That's so weird!"

Get Angel off my back: Surprisingly success.


	27. Chapter 27

**Another snow day. Nobody reads these, so I don't know why I waste my time writing them, but whatever. As long as you like the story under them, right? Enjoy.**

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Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Max**

My Mom was obsessed.

I love her to pieces and all, but she was obsessed.

The second we got back to her place, she insisted that she drag me out to her clinic to run a bunch of useless tests on me. We already knew I was…going to have a baby, didn't we? The sticky-jigger thing said so. But she forced me though blood tests (ow) and more "urine samples" before finally deducing that I was "pregnant."

"Can we leave now?" I asked after my mom had finished all the tests. She sighed.

"Yes, I suppose we can," she said. I jumped off the table I'd been sitting on and headed for the door. We walked painfully slowly through the halls to the parking lot where I slid in the passenger side.

We managed to drive about half of the way home in peaceful silence before my mom said something.

"I still can't understand how this happened," she said for the bajillionth time.

"Fang and I did it and then I was pregnant. That's how it happened," I explained. She shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. I mean why did you do it?"

"That's not what you said."

"It's what I meant."

"Well, that's because I love him and we wanted to."

"But you didn't think about the consequences?" she asked me. "Like, you didn't think about getting STIs or getting pregnant?"

"I talked to Ella about the STIs since you _completely_ lost me on those," I told her. "She said that you can only get those from people who have them, and you can't be born with them. And Fang and I have never been with anyone else, so—"

"You can't guarantee that, Max."

"Yes I can," I protested. "I've been with Fang for fifteen years of our lives!"

"And in the three years he was gone?"

"No, I just decided I'm not having this conversation with you anymore," I declared. "I'm just going to go back to sitting in silence, thanks."

My mom pursed her lips but said nothing else for the rest of the drive home.

When we got home, we found Nudge, Iggy, and Ella vegged out on the couch in front of the television. When we came in the door, Nudge glanced up, acknowledged us, then returned her gaze to the TV.

"Something interesting?" I asked. Nudge nodded.

"A bunch of kids burnt down a building that turned out to be associated with Itex," she explained.

"This is the third time this year," Iggy added.

"People are saying that it's a form of youth delinquency," Ella said. "They're probably right."

"No way," I said, walking over to look at the TV. "I don't buy that for a second. It's a protest."

"And I can guess who's behind it," Iggy said, slightly bitterly.


	28. Chapter 28

**I was just gonna post this without an A/N at the beginning, but it looked so naked and plain without one, so I threw one together at the last minute. There's another snow day tomorrow, so expect some more chapters.**

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Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Max**

I called Fang that night, as promised. But I don't think my words to him were quite what he had in mind.

"What the hell?" I said as soon as he said hello.

"What the hell what?"

"What the hell were you doing in Virginia?" I demanded.

"Um, laying low?" he suggested.

"So much for that," I scoffed. "Your little 'followers' burnt down three Itex branches!"

The phone was silent for a minute, then Fang finally said, "Where did you hear that?"

"I heard it on the news."

"How did you know they were _my_ followers?"

"Because I haven't been spreading the news about Itex, so eventually all Itex info in the outside world leads back to you," I explained.

"Okay," he said flatly. "Admittedly, I've been encouraging my blog-readers to help bring on the downfall of Itex." I waited, saying nothing. Finally Fang continued. "But I never told them to burn buildings down!"

"So it _is_ your fault!" I declared in my I-So-Told-You-So voice.

"I'm not taking blame for something a few kids decided to do!" he shouted. "It's not my fault that they chose to take out Itex in a really stupid way!"

"Yes it is!" I protested. "It _is_ your fault because if you hadn't started that stupid blog then we wouldn't be having this stupid problem!"

Ella, who I just noticed was in the room as well, stepped toward me. She put her hand out for the phone and I handed it to her reluctantly.

"Fang? It's Ella," she said into the receiver. "Keep in mind that you're arguing with a pregnant woman and that there's no chance you're going to win." She took the phone away from her ear and handed it back to me.

"Max?" Fang said.

"Yeah?"

"It doesn't really matter. I'm just glad to hear your voice again. I miss you."

"I-I miss you, too," I stuttered, surprised by the change in subject.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" he said. "And remember that if something goes terribly, horribly wrong—or even just a little bit wrong, it doesn't matter—call me right away, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay. Night, Fang," I said, though suddenly I didn't feel like hanging up anymore.

"Night."

The line went dead and all that was left was the dial-tone buzzing loudly in my ear. I put the phone back on the cradle, walked into my room, and started to cry.

Would I ever get used to those damn mood swings?


	29. Chapter 29

**I'm so excited! We're almost at chapter thirty! From then on, that's where all the good stuff happens! I'm super looking forward to it! In the meantime, enjoy chapter Twenty-Nine.**

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Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Fang**

Max's call reminded me for the first time in months of my blog. I hadn't thought about it at all since I'd gotten back. I'd been too busy watching to see if I'd knocked Max up. Which, evidently, I had. And now, without Max around and only Angel and Gazzy to worry about, I finally had time to check on it.

I opened my laptop and watched it gleefully whir to life. I opened up my inbox as soon as it finished booting up. A little message popped up on my screen.

**Hello, Fang!**

**You have 2,734 new messages!**

I needed to check this thing way more often.

I opened the first one and skimmed across it, then skipped to the next. Then the next. They were all essentially identical. All thanks for inspiring them to do something about Global Warming and human rights and all the things they were fighting for. I still couldn't figure out why they'd chosen to burn down Itex. Of all the possible ways to make a statement, why that?

"Fang, I'm done a bunch of the stuff Max left," Angel said from the doorway to Max's old room. "Gazzy is done, too. Can we go for a fly?"

I considered it for a second. Was it a good idea to fly in the late night in the middle of nowhere?

Yes, yes it was.

"Sure, I don't see why that would be a bad idea," I decided. Angel beamed at me. She hadn't looks so happy around me since I got back. Maybe they were finally starting to accept me again.

Gazzy was quick to jump to the idea of going for a fly. We all leapt off the porch and into the dark sky, letting it take control of us. I'd missed that feeling so much in the three years I'd been with Allison. It was hard to find opportunities to fly in urban Roanoke. So, obviously, I was a little uncoordinated at first. But once I got used to the feeling again, it was smooth sailing the rest of the evening.

As much as I was enjoying myself, I still kept a close eye on the sky, the ground, and Gaz and Angel. If I lost sight of them, even for a second, Max would kill me.

If she found out.

It was hard to remember she was a couple hours away in Arizona and not watching my every move, ready to bust me at the slightest provocation. I watched Angel and Gazzy swoop down near the ground, and just before crashing, shoot straight back up again. I remembered back when we were younger and that was the biggest thrill of our lives. The feeling of the adrenaline rushing through your veins, the ecstasy of taunting death—or at least serious injury. It was all just so…exciting. Nothing in the world could replace it. I risked one swoop, just for the fun of it.

I let the air rush across my face, the blood speed through my body. Just before face-planting on the ground, I switched directions and flew back upward.

"Nice one, Fang," Gazzy shouted, giving me a thumbs up. "Man, I'd forgotten how much more fun you are than Max. She doesn't do cool stuff like that."

"Max is a better teacher and leader than I am," I reminded him. Way better, I added to myself. I couldn't take care of five flock members 24/7 to save my life.

Well, maybe to save my life….

"Yeah, I guess so," Gazzy said thoughtfully. Angel flew up beside us and grinned.

"I guess you could say that we need both of you!" she said, giggling like a seven-year-old, though she was ten now.

"Yeah, maybe," I said absently. I was too busy thinking about all the reasons Max was way too good for me. She was smart, for one. Way smarter than I was. She was a great flock leader, something I could never live up to. She was an even better flock mom than leader. She was all-together amazing, and I was scum.

I smiled to myself. I guess that just meant I had some things to work on.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey! I'm half-pleased to say that I'm ALMOST FINISHED THE STORY! Keep in mind that I'm ten chapter ahead of you people. But, don't be sad. I'm writing a sequel, with a different main couple TBA at a later date. There'll be a lot of POV switching 'n' stuff. Anyway, I really hope you like the story still and are going to keep reading.**

**I still don't own Maximum Ride, and I also don't own Google, just FYI. Thought I'd add that, since there is a mention of it.**

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Chapter Thirty**

**Max**

I called Fang every single night, even when there was nothing to say. It helped remind me that it wouldn't be too long before we could see each other again. Our relationship had gotten so fluffy since he'd gotten back. But as far as I was concerned, it didn't matter. Sure, it was kind of sickening, especially for the third-party. But hey, it worked.

Since there wasn't much to do during the day but tidy, which neither Iggy, Nudge, or I cared to do, and it wasn't exactly like we could just randomly fly around in the middle of the city—we'd learned a long time ago that that didn't go over so well with the city folk—all that was left was to watch the news for more Itex events.

There weren't very many.

For weeks, the biggest thing I did was stare at my abdomen, waiting for chance. There wasn't much. I would slide my hand across it, trying to see if there was a slant. Nothing. I started to wonder how long this took. Surely it couldn't be _that _long. I figured the time line I'd given Fang, which was five months, was, like, Super-Late-Worst-Case-Scenario.

So, finally, I broke down and decided to do some research. It wasn't like I'd never done it before, or anything. I opened a Google page and typed in _Pregnancy._ I was instantly overloaded with webpage after webpage. I picked the one at the top and waited for it to load. My mom's computer was much faster than Fang's laptop back home, so the page popped up almost the second that I clicked on the link.

Congratulations! Now, you know you're expecting. Here is a little bit of information on what it's going to be like for the next nine months, until baby comes.

Crap, nine months?

For the next nine months, a little human will be growing inside you. By the time you're a few months in, you'll definitely be able to see that your stomach is rounding out to fit the little baby. It will take the food that you eat and use it as its own, so it's a good idea to eat right while you're pregnant. There is no smoking or drinking allowed while you're pregnant. It can harm the baby and it can be born with mental and physical defects.

You're baby has ears, and can somewhat hear what's outside of the womb, so you can talk to your baby. Eventually it will start to recognize its parents voices, and the voices of whoever speaks to or around it frequently.

I didn't want to read any more. It was still bothering me that I would have to carry this for nine months. I closed the window and stared at the blank screen. A few footsteps came up behind me and a hand rested on my shoulder. Nudge peered around me to look at my face.

"Max?" she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm fine. Just a little…" I searched for the right words, but couldn't think of one.

"Confused?" Nudge supplied. I nodded.

"Yeah, kind of." I spun the chair around so I was looking at her face, throwing a playful scowl on my face. She jumped back, surprised by my sudden change. "But you better not tell anyone about that." I said. "You know that Angel would be all over me, telling me how she should be leader."

Nudge giggled. "Yeah. You're right," she said. She made a gesture like locking her lips. "My lips are sealed. No one will hear a thing from me."

"Good. I'll hold you to that," I said, now grinning. "In the meantime, I could really go for some chocolate chip cookies."


	31. Chapter 31

**Hah. It's 12/12. Amused. I have little to say today, so please just read on and enjoy chapter thirty-one.**

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Chapter Thirty-One**

**Max**

I learned all sorts of things about my new life in the months that followed. First, I discovered that I had foods I couldn't stand, and foods I couldn't stop eating. I couldn't eat fish, and I hated the smell of meat cooking. Seriously, it made me throw up. On the other hand, ever since Mom brought it home for dinner one time, I'd been addicted to Mexican food. I had no idea why, but I just couldn't stop eating it.

So that's sort of where I was at. I was in my room, curled up on my bed and skimming though one of Ella's magazines. Mom was in the kitchen, cooking the meat so I could eat my Mexican food. The doorknob turned and Ella stepped in. She looked upset. I set my magazine.

"Hey, Ella," I said. "What's up?"

Ella opened her mouth, as if to say something, but when she did, all that came out was a big croak. Like a toad had crawled into her throat and started making sounds for her. Her hand flew to her throat. I stood up.

"Are you okay? What happened?" I said, going all flock leader/mom on her.

She nodded. She moved her lips, and I guessed she was forming words. I got, "I lost my voice," and that sort of made sense. The door next to mine opened and Nudge stepped out.

"Hey, Ella. What's up?" she said. Ella turned.

"She lost her voice," I explained. Nudge looked puzzled.

"Where'd she lose it?" she asked. I shrugged. Ella turned around to look at me.

"Did you check behind the couch?" I asked her. Ella pursed her lips and squinted at me. Nudge started laughing, and I couldn't help but join her.

"What's going on?" my mom called from the kitchen.

"Ella lost her voice!" Nudge called back between giggles. "We're helping her find it!"

I could hear footsteps coming from the kitchen. Mom stepped into the hall, wringing her hands with a dish towel. She was smiling.

"You can't find a lost voice," she said, looking at me. She turned to Ella. "You, young lady, should be resting your voice." She shooed Ella out of my room and into her own. I returned to my position on my bed and ran a hand over my tiny baby-bump. I felt like after almost three months of having it inside me, I still hadn't gotten anywhere. Maybe it was just slow or something.

"How are you doing?" Nudge asked me. I jumped. I'd thought she'd left with my mom.

"I'm okay," I said, still focused on my stomach.

"I miss the rest of the flock," Nudge said. She was watching my hand rub up and down my bare abdomen.

"Yeah, I hate it when we're separated, too," I agreed. Nudges eyes flicked up to meet mine. They were angry.

"Then why can't we be together?" she demanded. I was taken aback by her sudden change in temper. I thought the mood-swings were reserved for me. But I kept my cool and answered her question.

"Because I can't handle the stress it would cause me to have all five of you at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"If we put Iggy and Gazzy in the same house, odds are something would explode in at least a week," I explained. "And I don't doubt for a second that Angel would be all over me trying to be flock leader if she was here."

Nudge bit down on her full lower lip. "Yeah, okay," she agreed. "You have a good point." She paused, as if considering it. "But what about Fang?"

"Someone has to watch Gazzy and Angel."

"Why couldn't Iggy have stayed, and you, Fang, and I could have come here!" she reasoned.

"Then we go back to my first issue of having Iggy and Gazzy in the same house."

"But—" Nudge tried to say, but I'd reached a boiling point.

"Nudge, I already told you, I can't do that right now! Case closed, end of discussion!"

Nudge scowled at me and stormed out of the room. Come to think of it, maybe I should have just come alone. Bombs and power-hungry 10-year-olds were one thing.

I wasn't sure if I could handle angsty 15-year-old girl with raging hormones.

_Please,_ I begged in my head. _Whatever I end up having, please don't let it become a teenager._


	32. Chapter 32

**Kay! So, her's the first chapter I edited. It's a little more exciting then it was. I hope you guys like it and stuff.**

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Chapter Thirty-Two**

**Fang**

I hadn't gotten one phone call from Max in a month. I'd been waiting on her to tell me I could come down. She said four months. It'd been five.

"Why don't you just call her yourself?" Angel suggested, lounged on the couch.

"Because I don't want to," I explained simply. "If she hasn't called me, it probably means that she isn't ready to yet."

Angel sighed, loud and dramatic, throwing her head back. "You're brain is so boring," she complained. "All you ever think about is Max!" She grinned at the ceiling. "Iggy was right. You're totally whipped."

I gaped at her. "What? I'm not whipped! Where'd you even learn that word?"

Angel rolled her eyes. "I just told you. Iggy. Please try to keep up."

The snot-nosed, mind-reading, brat.

"Whatever. It doesn't even matter. Max will call when she's ready," I decided.

"What if the house exploded?" Gazzy asked, jumping over the back of the couch and sitting next to his sister.

"The house didn't explode."

"What if she died?" he suggested.

"She didn't die."

"What if the demonic creature inside her clawed and chewed its way out of her from the inside—"

"That didn't happen," I said. Gazzy shrugged.

"You never know…"

"Yes, I do. And it didn't happen."

The room was silent for a few minutes. The bad, awkward kind of silence that just makes it even more silent the longer it lasts.

"I'm bored!" Gazzy declared finally.

"Congratulations," I said, bored senseless myself. If only Max would call…

My phone vibrated in my pocket, indicating that I was receiving a call. My heart started beating faster. I tore it out of my pocket and flipped it open.

"Max?" I said, sort of breathlessly.

"Allison," the person corrected.

"Oh," I said, put out. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said sweetly. "Are you waiting for a call? If you are, maybe I should go."

"Nah, that's fine," I told her. "I've been waiting for a call for a month now."

"Wow. Angel was right. You are whipped."

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Allison said quickly.

I looked over at Angel and she shrugged innocently.

"Anyway, that's probably not good," she said.

"What's not good?"

"That Max hasn't called you in a month."

"That's nuts. Max is fine. She's probably just…" I searched for a word. "Busy."

"Right," Allison said doubtfully. "Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing. Obviously it's not good. Well, I'll let you go so you can go back to staring at your phone expectantly."

"What makes you think I've been staring at my phone expectantly?" I asked her. She was quiet for a minute, then she said, "Yep, bye, Fang."

Then she hung up.

I flipped my phone shut again and slipped it back in my pocket. I looked up to see Angel staring at me. She was grinning.

"I like her!" she said. I pressed my lips into a thin line. The room was completely silent again. At least, until we heard a soft whirring coming from outside. I looked around the room. Gazzy and Angel were both still sitting on the couch, but their ears were trained on the noise.

"What's that sound?" Angel asked quietly.

"I don't know," I said, listening harder. Then I realized that I recognized the sound. "Oh, God. It sounds like…"

Gazzy looked at me, his face drained completely of blood. "Helicopters," he finished for me. I ran to the window to look outside. Sure enough, there were half a dozen helicopters, flying right towards us. I turned back to the kids.

"We have to get out of here right now," I said. They simply nodded.

"They're coming at us from the front!" Angel said as I walked toward the back wall. "How are we going to get out?"

I popped open the window and gestured toward it. "You guys know how to fly, right?"

Both kids jumped off the couch and ran for the window. I helped them up and out, reminding them not to be seen by the helicopters. Once they were both out, I climbed into the window myself. Just as I was about to jump out, there was a loud _boom_ that, after living with Iggy for most of my life, I was all too familiar with.

The bomb threw me out of the window and into the air. I threw out my wings as the wind caught under them and flew over to where the kids were sitting.

"They're…_bombing_ us," Angel said, looking pale as a ghost. I nodded.

"We have to get out of here," I said as they dropped another bomb. "Now. Stay in the trees. I'll be right behind you."

They did as they were told, flying skilfully through the branches of the trees. I stayed a few feet back from them, watching all the space around them. If they sent anyone into the forest to make sure we didn't escape, I'd get them.

On the Max scale of importance, I was basically expendable.

The kids, on the other hand, were not


	33. Chapter 33

**Here's the second chapter, and, hey, don't be afraid to tell me what you think!**

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Chapter Thirty-Three**

**Max**

I dropped down on my bed and screamed into my pillow. I was so sick of having to play the bad guy because I wouldn't let Fang and the kids come back. I mean, seriously. I didn't want Fang to see me now. I was all hugely fat and stuff, since I was, according to my mom, six months pregnant. Honestly, I was huge. Nudge couldn't wrap her arms around my entire waist anymore.

"_Why am I so fat_!" I screamed.

"Because your sharing your body with another being," Ella's voice explained from my door.

"_Does anybody knock anymore_!" I screamed again.

"Max, it's gonna be okay," Ella said, sitting on my bed and placing a hand on my back. I shook my head and rolled on my side.

"No it's not," I moaned. "My life sucks."

"You should call Fang," Ella decided. I sat up.

"Ella, no. I can't see him."

"Why not?"

"Because…because I can't," I explained lamely. "I'm…I'm afraid that he…he won't want to see me. He won't l-love me as much as he used to when he sees what I've…turned into."

"Max," Ella said, rubbing my side and laughing, "you're pregnant! Not a vampire! He'll feel the same about you, no matter what."

"How do you know?" I mumbled. "Maybe he only liked me when I was thin and pretty."

"You're still pretty," she said. "You're just upset because your hormones are awry."

"No, I'm upset because my boyfriend's gonna dump me because I'm fat," I corrected.

"I don't think this is even worth arguing," Ella decided, getting up. She walked toward the door, pausing when she reached it. "Call me when your sane again," she said. Then she walked out and closed the door behind her.

"My life sucks," I said to myself. First, I got myself pregnant with a Fang baby. Then I split us up. Now nobody will listen to my side.

"Max?" another voice said from my door.

"Go 'way," I mumbled.

"I just wanted to let you know that Ella and I are going to the store," Iggy told me. "Do you want anything?"

"Nooooo," I moaned.

Iggy was quiet for a minute, probably staring at me and looking confused, then he said, "Kay, whatever," and left.

I could always count on Iggy to be concerned about me.

Not.


	34. Chapter 34

**Third chapter, I think you get the pattern.**

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Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Fang**

Angel, Gazzy, and I continued to dive in and out of the sky until it was dark and we were probably close to Arizona. The humid May air stuck to our wings, even at night, and made it uncomfortable to fly. I could see Angel working hard to push her wings up and down through the thick atmosphere.

"Fang," Angel whined. "How long till we get there?"

"Angel, we just left a little while ago," I reminded her.

"I know," she said. "How much longer?"

"I don't know, about five or six hours," I told her. She pouted.

"This weather sucks," Gazzy complained. I rolled my eyes. If this was what it was going to be like the whole way to Dr. Martinez's I was going to kill them.

"If anyone complains about anything for the next seven hours, they're not getting to Arizona alive," I warned. Angel and Gazzy looked forward, mouths tightly closed and eyes opened wide.

We flew the whole night, and, to my surprise, nobody complained. I wanted to land, for the kids' sake, but I was just too worried about Max. Obviously something was bothering her. A lot, if she was refusing to see me. Maybe I was bothering her?

"Fang, you should stop being all self-hateful," Angel said. "It's bad for your complexion, gives you zits."

I stared at her. "How do you know that?" I asked. "And stop invading my thoughts!"

"I read it in one of Nudge's magazines," she explained. "And never!"

I rolled my eyes and looked down at the ground below us. There were a bunch of lights, which were disappearing slowly as the sun peaked over the horizon.

"That's it, right there," I told them, pointing to the ground. The two kids looked relieved and we bombed toward the forested area where Max and I had landed together years ago. It looked the same, all lush and green. It felt good to be there again.

Angel, Gazzy, and I trekked through the trees until we could see Dr. Martinez's house. I signalled for them to be quiet. It was still really early, and I would hate to wake up anyone inside the house. Angel and Gazzy nodded and we walked out into the yard and up the stairs. I grabbed the knob and turned it, but it stuck. I shouldn't have been so surprised. Normal people locked the doors and windows when they were asleep. Max had started doing it after I broke in though her window.

"What do we do now?" Angel asked me. I shrugged.

"Wait out here?" I suggested.

"Do you think Max's window is open?" Gazzy asked mockingly. "Maybe Fang could slip through it and do her again."

I was tempted to hit him, but I knew that if I did, he'd tell Max and she'd be even more pissed at me, for whatever reason she was mad at me.

"Who's there?" I voice called from the door.

"Ig?" Gazzy called. "Ig, it's us! Angel, Fang and I!"

"Oh," Iggy said. I heard feet moving away from us.

"Dammit, Iggy!" I called. "Let us in!" He snickered and unlocked the door.

Damn kids.


	35. Chapter 35

**Do I even have to say it?**

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Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Max**

I sort of fell asleep like that; on my side, in my clothes. When I woke up in the morning, I felt stiff and unhappy. I rolled out of my bed and dragged my body into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked groggily.

"Toast and eggs," Iggy told me. I sat down at the island.

"Cool," I said, using all my energy to keep my head from falling on the granite tabletop.

"Oh, by the way," Iggy said, flipping the eggs flawlessly, which, even though I'd seen him cook for, like, ten plus years, still kind of freaked me out.

"Uh huh?" I prompted.

"Fang and the gang showed up this morning."

My head shot up out of my hands. "What!"

"Fang, Angel, and Gazzy came in this morning," Iggy repeated. "While you were sleeping."

"They did _what_?" I said, but I continued before Iggy could repeat himself again. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"Because we prefer to have our heads attached to our bodies," he explained. "Face it, Max. You scare us shitless."

"You suck," I informed him.

"Wow, I can almost feel your eyes burning holes in my head," he said. I assumed he guessed I was glaring daggers at him. "I can't believe how long you slept. Everyone else has been awake for hours."

I jumped. "What time is it?" I asked frantically.

"I have no clue," Iggy said.

Right, blind.

I scanned the room for a clock. I found one in front of Iggy on the stove. The bright blue numbers read 11:47am.

"Oh, my God! I can't believe I slept till noon!" I shrieked, jumping hysterically to my feet.

"Max?" a voice I hadn't heard in ages said from the living room. "Is that you?" Someone got up and walked toward the kitchen. He stepped into the kitchen and I tried to avoid his dark, mysterious eyes.

"H-hey, Fang," I said weakly. He looked at me impatiently. So, I'd been wrong. He wouldn't break up with me because I was fat. Even though that was probably a really stupid thought in the first place, anyway.

He'd break up with me because I was a total bitch.


	36. Chapter 36

**Okay, this is the last one. Now you people can go back to whatever you were doing that was probably way less interesting than reading this AMAZING story.**

**No! No! Not you guys! The guys who came back to reread these chapters since I edited them!**

**Kay, good. _You_ keep reading while _they_ go back to their less interesting lives.**

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**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Fang**

I stared down Max. She looked embarrassed. I could tell by the way her cheeks turned an adorable pink. I felt sort of bad for being pissed at her. It was hard to stay mad at Max for very long. Usually because she out-madded you within a few seconds. But she wasn't fighting. That wasn't very Max-like of her. I let my head fall back on my neck and stared at the ceiling.

_Remember,_ Ella's voice from this morning repeated in my head, _her head's really screwed up right now. Go easy on her._

I sighed and sat down at the island, motioning for her to sit next to me.

"Hey," I said when she sat. "What's up?"

"Not a lot," she said. I peered though her shoulder-length hair to look at her face. Tears were dripping down her cheeks and onto what I'd expected to be her lap, but turned out to be her stomach. My God. That kid had kicked into over-drive.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?" I asked her as Iggy discretely left the room.

"You're mad at me," she told me.

"I'm not mad at you," I said. I wasn't mad at _her_. I was mad at the school or whatever had come last night to blow us up, but I wasn't mad at her.

"You're gonna break up with me," she sniffled, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"Why would I break up with you?" I asked gently.

"Because I'm a big, fat, bitch."

I raised my eyebrows. "You're not a bitch," I told her. "And you're not fat, either."

She jumped off the stood and stared at me. "What are you talking about?" she shrieked. "Look at me, Fang! Look at this!" She put her hands on her really big stomach. "What is this, Fang?"

"A baby," I said honestly. "You're not fat."

"Don't lie to me to make me feel better!" she said and she raced out of the room. Down the hall, a door slammed shut. I turned back to the island and dropped my head hard on the countertop.

"Women," I moaned. They were sure to be the death of me.

"Wow," Iggy said, deeming the room safe again. "What'd you do to her? She hasn't been this mad in almost a week."

"Piss off," I mumbled. I could feel Iggy's sightless eyes burning my head.

"Fine," he said. "But you better go apologize to Max, or she'll be pissed at you forever."

_Apologize for what? _I wanted to ask, but it wasn't worth it. He was right, anyway. It's better to just humour her most of the time. I headed down the hall, but hesitated right before I knocked on the door.

_Oh, my God,_ I thought. _I _am_ totally whipped._

_At least you actually have a girlfriend,_ another part of me said.

"Max?" I called.

"Go away, you stupid jerk!" she shouted though the wood. My lips pressed into a thin line.

"Max," I said reasonably. "Please let me in. I'm sorry I…" What had I done, anyway? Never mind. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Please let me see you."

"No!" she shouted.

"Please, Max? I missed you so much in Colorado. I just want to see you again."

"I don't want to talk to you, Fang!"

"But I want to talk to you," I said before turning the knob and coming in anyway.

"Why are you bothering me?" she asked me. She was lying on her side away from the door.

"Max, do you know why I came here even when didn't ask me to?" I asked her, closing the door and sitting on the edge of her bed. _Other than the fact that some crazy scientists were trying to blow us up again_, I added silently. I'd tell her about that later. Maybe.

"Because you wanted to ignore me and make me annoyed."

"No," I said. "I did it because I love you and I couldn't wait any longer to see you." I stroked her hair. "Didn't you want to see me?"

"Of course," she said. "But I was afraid that you wouldn't like me as much because I'm not as…_thin_ anymore."

"I don't care whether or not your thin," I told her. "I love you cause your amazing, inside _and_ out, no matter what."

"But you like me better when I was thin, didn't you?" she said. I ruffled her hair.

"No way," I said. "I love you more than ever now. I'll never love anyone more than I love you."

She nodded and I lied down next to her and pulled her against me. "Promise you'll always love me?" she said.

"I'll always love you," I said easily. "Promise."

"I love you, too," she said before drifting off to sleep. I fell asleep next to her. Not surprising, considering Gazzy, Angel, and I hadn't stopped to rest once last night. The little troopers.


	37. Chapter 37

**Kay. Here's the other chapter. Not much to say. Happy holiday break for those of you on it. I expect you people to have lots of free time, as I do, and read+review my story! Cause every comment counts!**

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Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Max**

Alright, so maybe Ella had been right and I had been over-reacting because of my awry hormones. And maybe Fang really did love me more than I gave him credit for and maybe my life would be better when this emotion-provoking, brain-cell-sucking being was out of me.

I woke up again in a couple hours, since I was so tired all the time. Fang was still sleeping beside me. I left the room cautiously, trying not to wake him up. I slipped out of the room and, hand on my stomach, crossed into the living room.

"Max!" Angel shrieked as soon as I stepped in the room. She hugged me.

"Hey, Angel," I laughed, hugging her back. "How are you, sweetie?"

"Tired," she said. "Fang made us fly all the way here without stopping."

My jaw dropped. "He did?" I asked. She nodded.

"He really wanted to see you. He was worried about you," she told me. "Every time someone called, he was like, 'OMG, Max?' and the person who called was like, 'Nope, sorry.' Then he was all like, 'Oh. Okay.' "

"What?" I said. Angel shrugged.

"He's totally whipped," she said. "At least, that's what we keep telling him.

Wow. He really was whipped, if he was waiting for my call. That was kind of touching.

"Oh, God!" I gasped as I sat down on the couch.

"What is it?" Ella asked, looking up from the TV.

"The baby's kicking me!" I shrieked. Ella smiled and ran over.

"That's so cool!" she gushed. "Where is it?"

She dropped her hands on my stomach and I moved them to where it was kicking me. Her face brightened as it kicked me again.

"Mom!" Ella shouted. "Come! Come quick!"

My mom rushed into the room and looked at me. "What is it, Max? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mom," Ella giggled. "Max's baby is kicking!"

"Oh, how exciting!" Mom said and she walked over. It became a giant crowd around me as everybody tried to feel my baby kicking. I'd personally thought it was looking for a way out. But according to my mom, it was just moving around.

I was starving, since I'd never gotten to eat breakfast. I walked into the kitchen and began throwing together a Breakfast-Turned-Lunch-Since-It-Was-Two-In-The-Afternoon. I turned around to put my meal—toast with peanut butter, since that's about all my culinary chops can muster—on the table and jumped a little when I saw Fang sitting there.

"God, Fang!" I said, for probably the zillionth time. "Would it kill you to make a sound once and a while?"

He grinned. "Probably," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"The baby was kicking me," I told him.

"What did you do to it?" he asked jokingly.

"Nothing. It just started kicking me!" I said.

"Max," my mom said from the living room. I took my plate and walked there.

"What?"

"Do you want to go into my office and we can do an ultrasound?" she asked me. "I was waiting for Fang to get here, and now he's here, so I was thinking maybe we should do that."

"Um, first of all," I said, "I don't know what that is, and second, I don't think that it will really matter whether I say yes or no, I'll probably have to go anyway, so I guess yes."

"Alright, then!" she said. "Go get some clothes on and we'll head out."

I nodded and headed for my room with my toast to get some clothes. I pretty much inhaled the food so I wouldn't have to bring it with me. I threw on a blue-ish gray-ish fat person (or maternity, as Ell had called it) camisole and some sweats and returned to the living room. Fang was already standing by the front door with my mom, waiting for me to join them. I slipped on my shoes and we headed out to the car.


	38. Chapter 38

**I hurt everywhere from the dance yesterday. Plus, I'm really cold and my fingers are freezing. So, while I go raise the thermostat, please enjoy this chapter of Words Left Unsaid.**

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Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**Fang**

I felt very awkward sitting in Dr. Martinez's van with her and Max in total silence. Usually I didn't mind silence so much, but this was awkward silence. I could tell that Dr. Martinez was avoiding talking to me personally. I think she was mad because I'd gotten her daughter pregnant at eighteen.

Then again, that wasn't really her problem, was it?

In any case, I wasn't really in the mood to talk about my screw-ups, so I didn't say anything either. Max seemed uncomfortable, but that might have just been because she was huge with that baby in her stomach.

When we finally got to the clinic, we got out of the car and walked through the doors, still in silence. It wasn't until we got into Dr. Martinez's office that something was finally said.

"So, um, what's this whole 'ultrasound' about?" Max asked. Dr. Martinez continued to bustle about the room while she answered Max.

"Basically, it's a little device that sends sound waves into your body and bounce back, and that gives us an image of the baby, so we can see how it's progressing," she explained. Max looked disturbed by the thought of having sound waves bounce around inside her.

"And what's the point of doing that?" she asked.

"Well, we can tell whether or not it's like you two, in the sense that it has part avian DNA. It can also tell us if it has any defects, and it can give us the se—gender of the baby."

Max looked up at me. "Do we _want_ to know what the gender of the baby is?" she asked me. I shrugged.

"I don't care really. I don't really want to know, I guess," I said, knowing I wasn't going to get away without giving her an answer.

"Well, I don't really want to know, either," she said. Dr. Martinez nodded.

"Alright, then. Let's get started," she said. She helped Max to lie down on the little operating table and I was given horrible flashbacks from when we'd come in years ago to get that stupid chip taken out of her arm. I stood by her, holding her hand tightly in mine. Dr. Martinez rolled up her shirt to expose her stomach. She grabbed a bottle of blue-ish liquid and opened the cap.

"Now, this is going to be a little bit cold on your skin, but it won't hurt you," she said. She squeezed the bottle and, with a disgusting _blorp_, it poured onto Max's stomach. As it hit her skin, Max's grip on my hand tightened. I looked down at her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She nodded.

"I'm fine. It's just…really cold." She laughed a little. Dr. Martinez brought over a little machine and took a thing attached to the machine and put it on Max's stomach. When she did, a little image popped up on the screen near the table. At first, it was just blurry, confusing lines. Then, after she moved it around a bit, I could actually start to see something. At first it was just another blob, only it was moving around. Then, when I looked really carefully, I could see that it wasn't just a blob, it was an actual, living, thing. Max was watching the screen vigilantly.

"Look," Max said, pointing at the screen. She looked over at me. "Do you see it?"

"Um…" I said, squinting my eyes a little, "I think so." Dr. Martinez pointed to the screen as well.

"Here's it's head," she said, pointing toward the bottom. "That's good. It's in the position it should be in right now." She moved her hand along the screen. "There's its arms and legs…and…" She paused, obviously looking for something in particular. "Oh, my goodness!" she gasped. Max almost jumped right to her feet.

"What?" she gasped back. "What is it?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Max. I didn't mean to surprise you," she said. "I was just surprised myself. See," she pointed to the screen again, "here are your baby's wings"

I looked where she'd pointed and I could just see the two little shapes on its back that looked like, as she'd said, birds' wings.


	39. Chapter 39

**Oh, my gosh. I'm writing the epilogue as we speak and I'm all emotional because I don't want it to be done but it is now so…I'm just gonna stop drabbling and let you read this chapter. TT_TT**

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Chapter Thirty-Nine**

**Max**

I couldn't believe what I was seeing on that screen. That was _my_ baby. That thing on that monitor was actually _inside my body_. I couldn't believe it. I watched it move around a little. It's arms and legs kicked sometimes. I felt some of them, but others I didn't even notice.

"Isn't that amazing?" I asked Fang. He squeezed my hand.

"Yep. Pretty awesome," he agreed. I turned to look at my mom.

"And you said it has wings?" I asked her. She nodded.

"It looks like it. I'm not surprised, since you both have the 2% avian DNA in your bodies," she explained. "If one of you didn't have that DNA, I wouldn't have guessed that it would have wings, considering it would have only 1% avian DNA, and it probably wouldn't even be significant."

"Oh," I said, though pretty much everything my mom had said pretty much blew over my head.

"Still, it's pretty cool," Fang said, gesturing to the monitor. I smiled.

"Yeah, it is," I agreed.

My mom finally agreed to let us go home after a little more looking around. I still hated that sickly smell of antibacterial stuff and the whole squeaky-clean feeling that hospitals had. We hurried out of the building and back into my mom's van. She drove out of the parking lot and back towards home.

The second the door opened, Nudge jumped up and ran right over to us and grabbed my wrist.

"Max," she said, guiding me toward the couch. "You should take a look at this."

She sat me down on the couch and took a seat next to me. She held my hand, and I could tell by that gesture that this was not good. Very not good.

A tall, thin woman with long, very straight, dark hair and mocha-coloured skin came on the TV screen. Underneath her, a little bar said _Company Deceives Public: A secret corporation discovered and destroyed._

The woman, introduced as Naomi Fitts, began to speak. Behind her was a blazing building.

"I'm standing in front of a building known as 'The School,' which was discovered and set on fire early this morning," she explained. I raised my eyebrows. The School had been set on fire? "A group of children, who have asked to remain anonymous, reported the whereabouts of this building and of the truly revolting purpose it served. It is said that the School was a secret organization of scientists participating in illegal genetic mutations, primarily on humans. The projects were led by Roland ter Borcht, who's location is currently unknown, but he is being searched out as we speak."

A picture of ter Borcht popped on the top right of the screen. Crap. Ter Borcht was on the loose again?

"Firefighters have searched the building for survivors, but found it completely empty, save one body that was found trapped in a metal dog crate. He has been identified as Jeb Batchelder…"

An image came up on the screen, just like it had for ter Borcht. It was Jeb. Really, truly Jeb. And they'd found his…_dead_ body in the burning School! My hand that wasn't holding Nudge's flew up to my mouth. Naomi Fitts was still talking, but I couldn't hear her anymore.

"Oh, my God," I said into my hand. My stomach churned inside me.

"Max?" Nudge said, looking over at me."Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "I think I'm going to be sick," I told her. I got up and walked robotically toward the sink, where I puked my guts up. My hair was pulled away from my face, again, and once I thought I was finished vomiting, I turned around and collapsed in Fang's arms.

"Max," he said soothingly.

"He's gone," I stated, my voice staying steady, even though my throat was full with choking tears. "Like, he's really, actually gone."

"That's what it looks like," Fang said. I noticed how he avoided directly agreeing with my statement.

"You don't think it's true?" I asked him, pulling away from his chest and looking up at him.

"I think there's something suspicious about it, yeah."

"What do you think we should do?" I asked him. He considered that for a minute.

"I think we should keep an eye on it," he said. "Maybe do a little investigation if we need to."

I nodded. I just hoped that didn't mean I was going to lose him again.


	40. Chapter 40

**Okay, all the chapters are done, so I'll post a new one every so often (Once a day or so) But I plan to be finished by Christmas, since I'll be visiting family.**

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Chapter Forty**

**Fang**

Things concerning Jeb's death were getting more and more suspicious. Something about it just seemed…wrong. I'd been keeping an eye on the Itex investigation for at least two months, and they had yet to find anything. It felt impossible for him to be truly gone. So I decided that it was time for a little investigation of my own, since the regular police didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

So, in the middle of the night, while everyone was sleeping, I pulled my backpack out of my closet and soundlessly filled it with a few sets of clothes. My head snapped up when I heard someone clear their throat from my doorway. In it, Iggy was glaring daggers in my direction.

"You're leaving us again?" he asked sourly. I stared back at him, though I knew it was a wasted effort.

"I have to go investigate this Itex stuff for myself," I told him.

"You can't possibly think you can leave now, when Max's baby is coming in less than a month," he said. I felt my gut wrench. I knew he was right. I shouldn't leave with Max so close to having her baby. But I just had to. It wasn't a choice thing. It was a obligation thing.

"I know I shouldn't, but I figure that if anything goes wrong, she's taken care of."

"Bullshit!" Iggy exclaimed. "I know you don't believe that for a second. You just don't care, one way or another, whether this flock is safe."

I bit down on my lip to keep from shouting at him. I bit it so hard I could taste blood. "Everything you ever think about is yourself and how _you_ want things to be," I said, keeping my voice as even as possible, although even I could hear the rage behind it. "I'm not leaving because I want to, I'm leaving to do what's best for the flock, and even the world. It may have meant nothing to you, but Antarctica really got me thinking about the world. I don't want it gone, and I'm going to do what I can to make sure it stays life-sustaining for as long as possible."

I pushed past Iggy and walked into the kitchen, where I stuffed some water bottles and food into my bag. Then I headed for the front door. I could hear Iggy was still behind me. I turned to face him.

"I hope that when I come back," I said, "you'll be less thick-headed and more concerned about the greater good."

With that, I took to the sky.

The whole way to California, I was tormented by thoughts of Max, and what an idiot I had been to leave her in such a vulnerable state. My brain just wouldn't stop nagging me. I'd been so lost in those thoughts that I almost didn't notice that I was descending. I couldn't explain it easily, but it was like I was being drawn there by some inexplicable force. Like the thread that pulled me to Max, only less…forceful.

I skidded to a halt on the sandy terrain, kicking up a dust storm behind me. When I finally stopped sliding on the dust, I looked around me. I was standing straight in front of a sign that claimed I'd landed in _Ridgecrest. Population: 27, 000_

I strolled casually through the partially barren streets, following my instincts more than the actual road. Was this tracking ability another one of my skills I'd randomly developed? I was brought to an alley near a red brick building with a tall ladder that I might've been able to use as a quick escape.

"Fang," I dark, familiar voice said from the shadows. I stepped toward it, which, I admit, probably wasn't the best move. I looked at the figure in the darkness.

"I knew you weren't dead," I said as I stared Jeb fearlessly in the eyes.

"Nice to see you, too, Fang," he said warmly. "How's the flock?"

"Better, without you interfering with their lives."

Jeb put a hand to his heart. "Fang, that's very hurtful. You know I only wanted what was best for the flock," he said. I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah, if what's best for them is giving them to psychos to be poke and prodded and treated like animals," I sneered. Jeb closed his eyes and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"It was for science. We needed to find a higher being that could survive the end of the world as we know it."

"While you could have just spent all that time finding a way to stop the world from ending."

"We needed you and the rest of the flock."

"Yeah? And what about all those other 'experiments' who didn't go as well as we did?" I demanded. "What about them? The ones who _died_ for your stupid research!"

"They were…expendable," he said. I could feel my rage burning inside my veins. My head was pounding painfully.

"How can you even say that!" I shouted. "People aren't expendable."

He let out a breathy, humourless laugh. "Those _things_ weren't people." He said _things_ like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Why aren't you dead?" I asked, changing the subject. "They found your body on the news and showed it to everyone."

"What they found was certainly Jeb Batchelder," he said, confusing me. This guy made no sense.

"Then what are you?" I asked.

"I'm am a clone of Jeb," he announced proudly. "The original Jeb was not satisfactory. He was too concerned about the environment and the well-being of the experiments. So, to replace him, they made me; a more…_suitable_ version of the Jeb Batchelder you have known."

I shook my head, almost feeling sorry for him. _Almost_ being the key word. "They must have rebuilt you with no heart," I said to him.

"Who needs a heart?" Jeb 2 said. "When you have the power to take over the world, a heart is useless."

Jeb 2 opened his mouth to continue, but I cut him off by kicking him to the ground and knocking him out.

Jeb 2 was extremely heavy for a guy his size. I knew that because I dragged him to an abandoned warehouse—because that's the best place to hold a person hostage—and tied him to a chair with some rope and stray duct tape. I waited in a corner for him to come to, but I fell asleep after maybe an hour. I'd flown all the way here from Arizona, which was about three or four hours, so it was surprising that I was so exhausted.

I woke up to see that Jeb was still passed out or asleep. I figured staying here would do nothing for me, so I went to roam around town.


	41. Chapter 41

**Aw, I miss writing this story. But I love the ending, and so will you. Or else! Kay? Great. Talk to you later!**

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Chapter Forty-One**

**Max**

"He did _what_!"

Iggy and Nudge stood in front of me, looking guilty.

"I told you we shouldn't have told her," Nudge mumbled to Iggy. Iggy pinched up his face.

"I can't believe this!" I continued, ignoring them. "I can't believe he did it again!" I turned to Iggy, my eyes narrowed at him. "Tell me exactly what he told you."

"He said he was going to investigate Jeb's non-death," he explained. That idiot.

"Max, you aren't too…upset, are you?" Nudge asked. I sighed at looked up at her.

"It's okay, sweetie. I just don't understand why he decided that he could leave me _now_, within a month of my due date."

"It's because he's an idiot," Iggy threw in. I glared at him.

"Be that as it may," my mom said as she came in the room, "he still thinks he has a responsibility to the world, and he's trying to fulfil his own duties."

"Whether or not that includes his duties to the flock and to Max," Nudge added. My mom nodded solemnly.

"Exactly," she agreed. She cleared her face into a serene smile. "But that's okay. Everything will go on according to plan."

"Right," I agreed. I wasn't going to let Fang ruin my life. I was just going to go on with my life. I looked at my mom. "Can we have Mexican for dinner?"

"Sure thing, hon," my mom said, grinning. I guess she was pleased that I wasn't letting this get to me. "Do you want home-made or take out?"

"Take-out," I decided. It was better. Plus I didn't have to deal with the whole cooking meat issue.

That was pretty much my whole night. I ate my Mexican food and went to bed. But, just as I put my head on the pillow, the phone rang. I picked it up off the cradle on my bedside.

"Hello?" I said, forgetting to check the caller ID.

"Max?" a wonderfully familiar voice said. "Max. I'm so glad it's you." He paused for a second before adding, "Well, I guess I'm just really glad it's not Iggy."

"Where the hell are you?" I demanded.

"California," he explained simply. "I couldn't wait any longer to find out what was up with Jeb."

"Did you find anything yet?"

He paused for a minute before answering, "No."

"Oh," I said. "When are you coming home?"

"As soon as I find something out," he said. "I promise I'll be back before you have the baby."

I nodded. "Okay," I said.

"You sound tired," he noted. His statement made me yawn, emphasizing his point.

"I was just going to bed," I told him.

"Oh. I guess you should sleep then."

"That'd be nice, yes."

"Okay, then. Bye, Max."

"Bye."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

The phone clicked and I hit the off button. I put the phone on my side table, flicked off the light, and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	42. Chapter 42

**So, I'm sort of just throwing these all together at once so that I can make a decision to post them in a few seconds. But anyway, the point is that that's why they'll get a little boring after a while.**

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Chapter Forty-Two**

**Fang**

I checked on Jeb 2 once a day. I wanted him to know how it felt to be trapped and not cared about at all, the same way that all those other experiments felt. I gave him food and water, because I didn't really want him dead. He'd be useless to me dead. Instead I just waited for him to crack.

That took about two weeks.

When he was finally shaken enough to answer my questions, I came back.

"Hello, Jeb 2," I said, imitating all I could remember from the Whitecoats. "How are you today?"

I got no answer. He looked tired and weak.

"I just want to ask a few questions, and then I'll let you go." At my last words, Jeb 2's head shot up from his knees.

"You're going to let me go?" he asked. I shrugged.

"If you behave," I agreed. "I just want to know a few things. Let's start with, why did you join the school? Were you aware that what you were doing was against the law?"

"Yes, I knew it was illegal," Jeb 2 confessed. "But their purpose seemed reasonable."

It took all of my self-control not to scream at him. How could what they did be considered _reasonable_?

"Did the Whitecoats expect us to escape the school the way we did?" I asked him instead. He shook his head. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.

"No, they didn't. I figured you would come back they way they wanted you to."

And the big one: "How did they keep finding us?"

Jeb paused for a long moment. "Through Max," he said finally. "And you, as well. But they preferred to go after you. They knew that if they got rid of you, they would destroy Max on the inside, and she would be weak enough for them to capture her and convince her to rejoin them."

_So that's why they didn't come after me while I was gone,_ I thought. _I was already gone, so I wasn't their concern._

"But why didn't you go after Max those three years I'd left?" I asked.

"Because she was still too strong-willed, even without you," he said. "They wouldn't stand a chance at getting her to join them."

"So they couldn't use her because she wouldn't listen to them?" I summarized. Jeb 2 nodded.

"Precisely," he said. "They figured the only way for them to get hold of the flock was if Max surrendered by her own free will. They knew that if she lost you, she would lose the will to fight."

"So, if I died, it would be the downfall of the flock?" I asked. That was a lot of pressure.


	43. Chapter 43

**There's finally some excitement in this chapter! Very important. It's basically the beginning of the end.**

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Chapter Forty-Three**

**Max**

I sat on Ella's bed while she dug through her closet. She was looking for something to wear to the party she was invited to on the weekend. I personally didn't see the point of dressing up for these things. I'd probably just show up in jeans and a t-shirt.

"What about this one?" Ella asked, spinning around and holding a pine-green off-the-shoulder dress stopped just above her knees. I shrugged, resting my hands on top of my stomach.

"It looks nice," I agreed, not really paying attention to it. I was thinking about Fang. I hoped he was alright. If any of the other scientists found out about what he was doing, then he was as good as dead.

"How about this one?" I didn't even look up that time.

"It looks nice," I repeated.

"You're not even looking!" Ella accused. I looked up for a second, then looked back down at my knees.

"It looks nice."

"You're not helping me," Ella said. I sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ella," I said honestly. "I'm just worried about Fang."

"Oh. Well, you shouldn't be. He's probably okay," Ella told me. I sighed. Maybe she was right. Fang could take care of himself.

And then, the weirdest thing ever happened.

I felt totally soaked. I jumped to my feet. Ella glanced over her shoulder at me.

"Max?" she said. She saw what had happened to me and gasped. "Oh, my God! Max! You're…you're water broke!"

"_What!_" I shouted. "No! My due date isn't for two weeks!"

"Max, due dates aren't always 100% accurate," Ella said. "They're just guesses."

"Well, then, what are we supposed to do?" I demanded. Ella shrugged. She looked frazzled.

"I don't know!" she shrieked. "I guess we should call Mom!"

She ran out of the room and I hurried behind her, clutching my stomach like if I didn't, the baby would just fall out. My stomach clenched and I stopped dead in my tracks and sucked in air. Ella snatched the phone off the hook and dialled the number so fast that if I hadn't known who she was calling already, I wouldn't have been able to tell which numbers she was pressing. She looked at me and shooed me toward the couch.

"Mom?" she said to the phone. "It's Max! Her water just broke! What do I do?"

Ella listened to the voice on the other line, looking like she was about to cry. My stomach seemed to clench again and I let out a cry of pain. Ella looked at me worriedly.

"You want me to _what_?" she gasped. "No way! I can't drive!—Yeah, I know, but—Yeah, but—"

She brought the phone over to me and I took it from her hand. A week, breathy, "Mm hmm?" was all I could get out.

"Max? It's Mom. I need you to listen carefully to me, okay?" she said. I nodded. "Ella's going to drive you to my friend's clinic." I tried to interrupt and say that I didn't want to go to a doctor, but Mom continued. "I know this isn't what you wanted, but she understands the circumstances. She'll help you, Max."

I figured I wasn't really in a position to argue, so I just agreed and gave the phone back to Ella.

"Okay, Mom," she said. "I'll see you soon."

My stomach clenched again and I cried out.

"Oh, my God! This thing is trying to kill me!" I gasped. That was when Nudge finally entered the room.

"Max?" she gasped after seeing me. She ran to my side.

"It's coming!" I gasped. Nudge grabbed my hands and squeezed them.

"It's going to be okay," she told me as calmly as she could manage. Iggy was next to enter.

"What the hell is going on?" he exclaimed. Ella stepped in.

"We have to leave right now," she said. "Mom said she has everything you're going to need with her."

She shuffled us into the van and put the key hesitantly in the ignition. I could hear her mumbling silent prayers that she wouldn't crash. I would have consoled her, but I was too busy trying not to let my head explode. My hands were clutching the arm rests so tightly that my knuckles were turning white.

Just then, a thought occurred to me.

"Ella?" I said breathily. "Do you have a phone?"

"Um, yeah, it's in my pocket," she said. "Do you need it?"

I nodded stiffly. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and handed it to me. I passed it back to Nudge, sitting behind me.

"Call Fang."


	44. Chapter 44

**Ugh. I really just want to post all the chapters at once, but I don't want to overindulge you people. But if you beg, I might just break and let you have them all ;) **

**Oh, and by the way, please forgive Fang. He's just trying to do what's right for the world. He's a good guy going through a tough time. Go easy on him.**

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**Chapter Forty-Four**

**Fang**

I couldn't believe this guy. He actually thought that killing off innocent people was okay? It was so sick and twisted I almost couldn't believe it.

"What would do if I called the cops and had you locked up forever in a hell-hole of a jail?" I asked. "Because that's honestly what I'm leaning toward doing."

"You wouldn't have me locked up, Fang," Jeb 2 said, laughing slightly. "I know you too well."

"You're disgusting," I told him. I couldn't do this anymore. And I had to go back to Max. I could just leave Jeb 2 here. The police would find him eventually if he wasn't moving around. Plus, it isn't like he could report me. What was he going to say? "A rogue winged kid, one of our experiments at that illegal lab, tied me up here and left me for dead!"

Yeah, right.

I walked out of the building. Once I was out of earshot of Jeb 2, I pulled out my phone and dialled the police anyway.

"Ridgecrest police," a deep man's said.

"Yeah, I have a guy here who is supposed to be dead, since he was found so in a fire, but he's here, and he's alive, and he's one of those scientist doing illegal genetic mutation."

"Where are you?" the man asked. I looked around for a sign.

"Um, right on the corner of Balsam and West French," I told him. "Next to the Blue Rays tanning salon."

"Alright, kid. We'll be right there." The policeman paused and added, "This better not be a prank. We've been after these guys for months."

"Oh, of course not!" I said. As soon as he hung up, I took off.

I breathed in the fresh, cool spring air. It felt good on my lungs after all the crap I'd been breathing in on the ground. I'd been flying for about two and a half hours, I guessed, and was just outside of Wellton—where Max's mom lived—when my phone rang. I wondered if I could answer it while flying. I carefully pulled it out of my pocket and managed to flipped it open.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Omigod, Fang?" Nudge said at a speed that would make hummingbirds dizzy. "You have to come back here _right now_."

"Why? What's wrong?" I said as my heart rate slowly quickened. "What happened?"

"It's Max!" Nudge said, even though I'd figured as much. "She's having her baby!"

"What? _Now_?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, now! And you have to come back!" she shrieked. I could tell she was crying. I spoke calmly, but firmly.

"Nudge, it's alright. Just breath for a second," I advised her. She did as I said. When she sounded better, I continued. "Tell Max I'll be there in, like, an hour. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed shakily. I closed the phone and just held it in my hand, hoping it didn't drop. Then I summoned all my power and accelerated higher than my already pretty much maxed out speed of 100 mph. I also fed off some of the passion I felt for Max to pull me toward my destination.

Dr. Martinez and I had discussed plans for Max behind her back. She'd told me we were going to take her to a clinic where her friend had promised to help us, despite that I'd warned her that Max would be royally pissed. When I saw the building she'd told me about, I dived downward and landed smoothly on the roof of the building. I climbed down the side of the building using a ladder that was built there, then stepped through the front doors.

"Can I help you?" A pretty, young, red-haired woman said from behind a desk. I stood before her, saying nothing. I was actually wracking my brain to remember Dr. Martinez's friend's name.

"Yeah," I said slowly, trying to buy some time to think. "Can you tell me where…" It was right on the tip of my tongue. I was so close I could almost feel it there. "Stephanie Nicholson!" I exclaimed at last. "Can you tell me where Stephanie Nicholson's office is?"

"Are you her patient?" the red-haired woman asked.

"No, I'm meeting someone there," I told her. She typed on her computer for a second, then spoke, still staring at the screen.

"Dr. Nicholson doesn't have a patient right now," she told me. "In fact, this says she has the day off."

"Oh, did I say _meeting someone_ there?" I asked, shaking my head foolishly. "I meant to say I'm _getting something_ there. Sorry for the confusion."

"Oh, well, in that case, I'll show you to it," she said, getting up from her desk. Alarm bells were going off loudly in my head.

"No! That's alright," I said. "I wouldn't want to take you away from your post. If you could just give me directions, I'm sure I'd be fine on my own."

"Oh, alright." She gave me a short string of directions, which I followed exactly. I ended up in front of a door that said _Dr. Nicolson_ on the front. I turned the doorknob and wrenched the door open, then closed it behind me. Max was standing, holding her stomach and leaning her head against a wall. She was dressed in hospital clothes, which I remembered to be not very comfortable. She rolled her eyes toward me.

"Look who decided to show up," she said. She sounded breathless and tired.

"Max, I'm really sorry," I told her, feeling guilty all over again. Max had that effect on people. I walked over to her and she moved her head from the wall to my shoulder as I wrapped my arms securely around her, rubbing her back gently between her wings.

"This sucks so bad," she mumbled into my shirt.

"Just a little while and it'll be over," I told her.

"I hope so," she said. Just then, Dr. Martinez and Dr. Nicholson, tagged closely by Nudge stepped back into the door.

"Fang, nice of you to make it," Dr. Martinez said. Nudge gave me a weak smile. Dr. Nicholson looked me over. She was shorter than Max, with long, wavy hair pulled back into a neat bun on the back of her head. She looked younger than Dr. Martinez, probably close to thirty. She had smooth, light skin and full lips that were currently pressed into a thin line. She leaned over and whispered something to Dr. Martinez, who nodded.

"Yes, Fang is the father," she explained.

"He sucks. Don't listen to him," Max said from my shoulder. Dr. Nicholson's attention was pulled from me to Max.

"Max, honey, how are you doing?" she asked. All she received for an answer was a soft moan from Max.

"I'm gonna say not good," I said. Dr. Nicholson glared at me. I got the sense she didn't like me much.

"Max, sweetie, come lie down," she said. I helped Max over to the little hospital bed in the middle of the room. Max lied down and let Dr. Nicholson feel around.

"Good thing you came when you did," she said, grimacing, to me. "Max, it's time for this baby to be born."

Max's head flopped back. "Finally," she said. Nudge walked over to Max's other side and tightly grabbed her hand.

"You ready?" she asked. Max looked up at her.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said with a trace of a smile playing at her lips.

"Okay, Max," Dr. Martinez said from Max's right knee, holding her foot. "Deep breath." Max breathed. "Good. And…push!"


	45. Chapter 45

**Yeah, I know. This is a really short chapter. But it's really just filling up the holes that Fang missed.**

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Chapter Forty-Six**

**Max**

I screamed again and squeezed Fang's hand as the pain shot through my body again. He winced as my bone-breaking grip crushed his fingers.

I'd had a bunch of painful stuff happen to my body in my lifetime. I'd been shot, punched in the face countless times, and broken most every bone in my body. I'd been injected with hundreds of needles. I'd even tried to dig a chip out of my arm with a shell. All of those hurt like hell.

_This_ was an entirely new form of pain.

"Max, honey," Dr. Nicholson said, pulling my attention away from the pain for a second. I turned my head toward her, breathing raggedly. "You have to push for us again."

I nodded weakly and took a deep breath as she and my mother counted to three. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that the darkness might take some of the pain away.

It didn't do very much for me.

"AAII HATE YOU!" I screamed at Fang, all but tearing his arm off of his body. He gently squeezed my hand in reassurance as my grip lessened, and it really did help. I was about to say something else, but my mom and Dr. Nicholson were counting again. I pushed.

"Oh, Max, honey, you're almost there!" my mom said.

"Just one more big push and we'll be done," Dr. Nicholson said.

I nodded. I couldn't tell if I was crying through all the sweat on my face. "It hurts so bad," I whimpered to Fang. He took a cloth and ran it over my forehead with his free hand.

"You'll be okay," he told me. I nodded again, took a deep breath, and gave the last push my all. My mom gasped and started to cry, Dr. Nicholson still had her No-Nonsense-All-Business face. Nudge was holding my hand with one hand and wiping her eyes with the other.

Dr. Nicholson wiped off the baby, wrapped it in a blanket, and put it in my arms. As she brought it to me, it was wailing like a banshee. But the second she put it in my arms, it stopped. I looked into its face, and started to cry my eyes out. Fang kneeled beside the bed.

"Max? Are you okay?" he asked. He sounded worried. Very worried.

I just shook my head. I felt so choked that I couldn't speak. I wanted to say why I was crying, but I just couldn't get it out.

My baby was a mirror image of Ari.


	46. Chapter 46

**Oh, my God. We're so close! TT_TT It makes me sad just thinking about it! But you should read this chapter and enjoy it while you can.**

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* * *

Chapter Forty-Six**

**Fang**

I felt awful the whole time I was there with Max, holding her hand. All I could think was that I'd been the one who'd put her in so much pain. I wanted to keep apologizing to her over and over, but I was worried that Dr. Nicholson would think I was weak and kick me out. So I just stood by her and wished I could take all the pain away.

But when it was finally over and the baby was out of her, it felt like a huge load was pulled off my shoulders. I turned to look over at Max, but she was unconscious. I didn't blame her. She seemed really drained. Dr. Nicholson and Dr. Martinez left with the baby to do…whatever they do to newborns.

"Poor Max," Nudge said, running a hand across Max's sweaty forehead. "That was tough on her."

"Yeah," I agreed. I still felt awful about all that pain I'd caused her. Nudge pulled her attention from Max to me.

"She's okay," she told me. "She's just really tired. That's all. Don't beat yourself up."

"I'm not beating myself up," I said.

"Yes, you are," Nudge said. "So stop it."

Dr. Martinez and Dr. Nicholson walked back in with the baby wrapped neatly in a little blue blanket.

"How's Max?" Dr. Martinez asked, cuddling the baby.

"She's still asleep," I told her.

"Can I see the baby?" Nudge asked. My mom smiled and gingerly handed it to Nudge.

"It's a boy," Dr. Martinez said.

"Wow," Nudge said. "He's so tiny."

"Yep," Dr. Martinez agreed. I watched them fuss over the little bundle. If only Max was awake…she'd be frustrated for sure. She hates to be vulnerable.

Nudge looked up at me and saw me staring at the bundle in her arms. She smiled sadly. "Do you want to hold him, Fang?"

"Sure," I said. Nudge walked around the bed and handed the bundle to me. She was right. He was really tiny. I was almost afraid to touch him, because I kept thinking he would break or something. Nudge smiled at me.

"Isn't he _soooo _adorable?" she cooed. He was really cute, aside from the fact that he was bright pink and all wrinkly and whatnot. "I think he looks like you," she added eventually. I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, keeping in mind my recent observations.

"Valencia and I are going to clean up," Dr. Nicholson announced. She gave Nudge a stern look and added, "Keep an eye on him." She jerked her chin in my direction. What the heck was her problem? What had I done?

Other then show up late for the birth of Max's baby and knock her up in the first place.

Max shifted and I figured she was waking up. Nudge looked from Max to me, gave an awkward grin, and said, "I think I'll go see how the other kids are doing."

Max rolled toward me and, slowly, her eyes flickered open. She looked up at me. I looked back at her, still holding the tiny blue bundle.

"How're you doing?" I asked her.

"I'm okay," she said. She tried to sit up, but gave up when she didn't move more than a couple inches. She looked at the bundle. "Can I see?"

I slowly, carefully, bent down and put the bundle in Max's waiting arms. She cradled it in one arm and slid her other arm behind its head. Thin trails of tears ran down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" I asked "Does it hurt?"

"No, I'm okay," Max said. "I just can't believe that's my baby, and that's it's actually real." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. then looked up at me. "Is it a boy, or a girl?" she asked.

"Boy," I told her. She looked relieved.

"Thank God," she said. "I don't know if I could take one more girl in the flock."

I knew what she meant. Girls could be so temperamental.

"Thank you," Max said. I looked at her.

"For what?" I asked. She smiled.

"For helping me bring him into the world."

I widened my eyes. I never thought she'd be thanking me for this. "Oh, um, you're welcome, I guess," I said brilliantly. Max didn't seem to mind, or even notice, what I'd said. She was busy paying attention to the bundle I'd given her.


	47. Chapter 47

** Two more chapters of Words Left Unsaid on the wall! To more chapters to go! If one of those chapters should happen to fall, it'll take forever to reassemble it and return it to the wall! **

**So it doesn't quite work. Who asked for your opinion, anyway? XP**

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Chapter Forty-Seven**

**Max**

I couldn't believe that this was _my_ baby. That it had been inside of me for nine (well, eight and a half) months and now it was finally out in the world. Fang sat down next to me on the edge of the bed and watched me stare at my baby.

It was at that point that my mom and Dr. Nicholson walked back in the room.

"Ah, Max. You're awake," Dr. Nicholson noted. "Excellent. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," I told her. "Just a little sore."

My mom glanced around the room. "What happened to Nudge?" she asked.

"She went to go check on the other kids," Fang said. Dr. Nicholson shot him a look. What was her problem? Why did she hate Fang so much?

"Max, Stephanie and I were talking, and I realized that we never talked about what you wanted to name him," my mom said.

"Oh," I said, sort of confused. "You have to name them?"

"Yes, of course you do!" Dr. Nicholson said. "Why on earth wouldn't you name him?"

"Well, I guess I sort of just figured he could name himself when he was older," I confessed, feeling stupid all of a sudden. "You know, just like we did."

"Oh," Dr. Nicholson said. Now she was confused.

"That's a very good idea," Mom said before Dr. Nicholson could shoot it down. "Very…unique!"

"But what are you going to call him until he names himself?" Dr. Nicholson said. I shrugged.

"I don't know, Baby?" I suggested.

"That's it?" she asked. "Baby?"

"Fine, _The_ Baby?"

I guessed the flock had totally weirded Dr. Nicholson out beyond repair. If I were her, I would have just stopped questioning us and letting us do things our way. Idly, I wondered how long she'd had that stupid pole shoved up her butt.

"Or what about Little One?" I added quietly. Fang smiled. Like, actually, genuinely _smiled_.

"I think that's a good name."

Just then, Nudge popped her head through the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, "but the rest of the flock, and Ella, were wondering if they could see the baby, too.

"You may send them in a few at a time," Dr. Nicholson agreed. "We wouldn't want to over stimulate Max or the baby."

"You mean Max or _The Baby_," I corrected, if only for the purpose of annoying her further.

"Okay, I get them," Nudge said as she retreated to the hallway. Shortly thereafter, Ella, Angel, and Gazzy entered.

"Girl or boy?" Ella asked immediately. Her eyes were sparkling.

"Boy," I said. Gazzy made a triumphant gesture. "Don't get any ideas," I told him. "I'm not letting him go all corrupted like you did."

"What's his name?" Ella asked.

"Little One, for the time being."

"Then he'll name himself?" Angel said. I nodded.

"That's the plan."

"Cool!" Angel said. Then she turned all shy and said, "Could I hold him?"

I smiled. "Of course." I patted the bed next to me and she sat down. Then I carefully (for both Little One's sake and mine) handed him to Angel. She held him like if she made she slightest movement, he would crumble into dust.

"He's really little," she said.

"Yep," I said.

Angel finished holding him and he was moved into Ella's eager arms shortly thereafter. When she finished her turn, and Gazzy finished "Just looking," they returned to…wherever it was that they'd been and sent the next group in.

The next group consisted solely of Nudge and Iggy. Nudge immediately wanted to hold Little One. I handed him to her and realized then how many people were in this family now.

In case you're curious, it's nine, if you counted my mom and Ella.

"He's just the sweetest thing," Nudge cooed, breaking my concentration.

"He's only a couple of hours old," I reminded her. "He isn't exactly exploding with personality."

After Nudge cooed and coddled Little One, Iggy finally, _very_ slowly, stepped forward.

"Do you want to hold him?" I asked gently. Iggy pressed his lips together nervously.

"No," he said. He shifted his weight awkwardly, then hurried out of the room. I furrowed my brow as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Well," I said, breaking the silence that was left. "That was…really weird."

"Iggy's really weird," Fang said.

"He has been," I agreed. I decided to let it go and went back to stroking Little One's head.


	48. Chapter 48

**I can't take it anymore. There's so little left, too, that I'm just gonna post it all and be done with it.**

**Ugh. I'm so tired. How 'bout you guys just read it and I'll go take a nap. Sound good? Awesome.**

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**Chapter Forty-Eight**

**Max**

I was worried about Iggy, despite Nudge's warnings that worrying was one of the main causes of acne. Pimples were the least of my problems right now.

"I think you should talk to him," I told Fang. He laughed.

"Yeah, because we both know how well that went all the other times I've tried to talk to him," he scoffed. I breathed a sigh.

"Yeah, but there's something more to him than just being pissed off at you," I tried to reason. "He never got the right guidance from a guy role model, what with you screwing us over and whatnot. That's why his brain is so screwed up."

"Okay, I'll _try_ to talk to him," Fang agreed reluctantly.

That was about when my mom walked back in. She announced that we were going home soon and that I should get ready. Mom had everything prepared. I had no idea how she was always so organized. Apparently, while I had been sitting around in my little makeshift hospital bed, she had gone home and gotten all the baby things she'd gotten prepared behind my back. She helped me to the car. We'd waited until it was late and all the office personnel had gone home for the night. Then we left and Dr. Nicholson locked up and went home. My mom helped me secure Little One in a baby car-seat and we went home.

Since my mom's car only held, like, five people, Fang, Ella, Little One, my mom, and I all went back in the car. Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel all flew back on their own.

"He's so…perfect," I said, staring down at Little One, who was fast asleep in the car-seat. Fang, with his arm wrapped around my shoulders, looked into the seat and squeezed me.

"He's pretty close," he agreed. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up at him.

"What do you mean, 'he's pretty close?' " I demanded. He shrugged one shoulder.

"Max, he's a mirror image of your dead half-brother," he said. My eyes burned with tears. Fang noticed I was crying again.

"Oh, shit, Max. I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine," I said, dismissing his comment with a wave of my hand. He was right, though. I didn't know how I was supposed to take care of a baby who looked exactly like my dead brother.

"Max?" Fang said, trying to peer around me to see my face. "Are you okay? I'm sorry."

"I'm fine. It's just…" I broke off, trying to decide what it was. "It brings back a lot of bad memories," I finally decided.

We were silent the whole way home. Little One stayed asleep, and my mom and Ella just kept quiet (for once). I was still shocked that Fang and I had created this being. He was so perfect, despite Fang's protest. I mentally stuck my tongue out at him.

We finally pulled into the driveway. A few lights were on and I assumed that the rest of the flock had beaten us back to the house. I was so glad that they were with me, that they'd stuck with me the whole time, no matter how scary I'd been. My mom helped me get Little One out of the car and we carried him into the house.

"Welcome home," I whispered into my baby's face. "Welcome to the flock, Little One."


	49. Epilogue

**This is it. The epilogue. I just wanted you folks to know that it has been an honour working with you and I can't wait to do it again. I'll miss you people so much. Stayed tuned after this chapter for a little sneak preview of _Love is Blind._**

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* * *

Epilogue**

**Fang**

It had taken almost a year of scrimping and saving up cash, and almost two months more to search through almost every jewellery store on the face of the earth before I found the one that was as perfect and beautiful and unique as the person I wanted to give it to. I even had to show it to Allison, Dr. Martinez, and Ella before I decided that it was good enough. And I still felt like I'd made a mistake, even as I walked out of the store with the box in the place where all my money used to be.

Once it was safely tucked away in my pocket, and I had no fear of it falling out during the flight, I took a few bounds and leaped into the air, heading back for the Martinez's house. I wanted to do something special and unique with it, to reflect the girl I was giving it to, but I wasn't exactly known for my overflowing creative juices.

I unlocked the door with my key—which had been given to me after I'd gotten here the first time and found myself locked out—and stepped into the house. It was completely dark, which didn't surprise me, considering it was two in the morning. I thought of all the ways that this could backfire:

She could explode at me for waking her up

She could explode at me for waiting so long

She could say no

I think the last one was by far the worst.

So I opened the door and walked into the even-darker bedroom, got down on the floor next to her bed, and started whispering her name.

"Max?" I hissed, and repeated until she rolled over toward me and peeled her eyes open. She flicked on the light and blinked a few times.

"Fang?" she said, sounding tired. "What the hell are you doing down there?" She sat up and looked down at me with half open eyes.

"Max, we've been through a lot together, and I've left you more times than I can count, but even when we were back at The School, I knew that you were the person that I wanted to spend my whole life with, no matter what." She was starting to wake up now, and she looked confused. "Max, I want you to know that no matter what we're doing, or where we are, or how far apart, you're always close to me." I moved one of my hands over my heart. "You're always here." I dug into my pocket and pulled out the tiny box. "And that's why I wanted to give you this," I flipped the box open. "So that you had something to remind you that we're always together. Always." I swallowed back what I tried to convince myself was just fear and nothing else, and said, "Maximum Ride, will you _please_ marry me?"

Max was completely awake now. Her wide eyes were filled with moisture that was fighting hard to stay inside her eyes. She just sat there, and I was starting to worry that she wasn't going to take it; that she was going to say no. I tried to keep those fears locked away in the back of my head.

"Well, go ahead," I prompted. "Take it."

With a wide grin, she took the tiny, golden ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. I stood up as a huge load was taken off my shoulders and I felt instantly lighter. I opened my arms and Max leaped off the bed into them. She slammed her lips against mine and I gladly accepted them, pulling her tight against my body.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Iggy's voice said sleepily from the door. We ignored it, staying confined from the world in our own little bubble of happiness.

That was, until Little One started to cry.

**Max**

This felt all too familiar; all the people, waiting in their seats, being scared as hell to step out and be seen by all those people, especially looking like I was. The only difference this time was that instead of having only two girls talk me into going out, I had three.

"Max," Nudge's soothing voice said, "stop worrying about everything. You look amazing."

_Liar_, I thought.

"You really do, Max," Angel said. They both looked stunning in their matching blue satin dresses that flowed down to just below their knees. It was late August, and very hot.

"They're right. You need to relax and just let things go as they should," Ella told me.

I looked into the full-length mirror for the zillionth time that sunny afternoon. My dress was ivory-coloured. It flowed all the way down to my feet, but stayed hugged tight to my body. The straps fell off my shoulders and hung level with the top of the dress, which was cut low and emphasized my modest bust. Tiny glass beads were imbedded near the bottom, and I kept worrying that I was going to step on them. The fabric was very light, so I didn't feel like I was sweating to death out in the heat of the day. My blonde hair was curled beyond it's normal amount and hung in little ringlets around the top of my dress, making me feel a little less slutty.

I felt totally wrong.

"Max, it's time to go!" Nudge announced excitedly. Ella smiled at me and ran to take her seat next to Mom. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was it.

Just like they did almost five years ago now, Angel stepped out first, walked down the aisle with Gazzy, and they split off. Then Nudge and Iggy.

Finally, it was my turn. I felt like I was going to be sick, and was about to do so when my feet dragged me forward and I walked, side by side, next to Fang.

I looked over at him. He was dressed in a black tux, which matched his hair perfectly. He was the perfect contrast to me, with my white dress and blonde hair.

"You look amazing," he whispered to me.

"I'm gonna throw up," I told him. He half-grinned, reached over, and grabbed my hand.

"You'll be fine," he assured me. We stood in front of the other friend of my mom's who was a judge.

"Family and friends," he said. "We are gathered here today to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony…"

I looked from Fang to the crowd who was watching us. In the front were Mom and Ella. Little One was sitting patiently in Ella's lap, blowing spit bubbles. Across from them were Allison and Mrs. Neill, who had flown in for the occasion. Behind them were Brigid Dwyer and her crew. I turned back to Fang and, grinning like an idiot, sent a few Ha-Ha-He's-Mine-Now-Bitch thoughts her way.

"Maximum?" the judge said. I jumped.

"Yes!" I said, not knowing what I was agreeing with.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," the judge said with finality. "You may now kiss the bride."

Fang was quick to obey. And he didn't hold back either. He grabbed me and dipped me down toward the ground, kissing me with a passion so extreme that I felt light-headed.

And that was when I knew that, no matter what, we were together.

Forever.


	50. Sneak Preview: Love is Blind

**Alright. Here's the dealio. I'm posting this sample chapter right now, but I'm not gonna start writing Love is Blind (Or at least, I won't start posting it) until...let's say...February 1st. Just so that we have a deadline. Kay?**

**Great.**

**P.S. Even after all this time, I still don't own Maximum Ride. But Little One and Allison are strictly mine. So back off!**

**

* * *

Love is Blind**

**_Sample Chapter_**

**Iggy**

I know I was a total ass for the most part. I didn't hate the world or any of that emo crap. I guess I was just…confused, in a way. Nudge told me that I'd "lost my way on the path to greatness." I don't know if she was right. It didn't really matter either way. Everyone still thought I'd lost my mind.

I didn't think I could be helped, until I started talking to someone. No, I didn't start seeing a psychiatrist. I figured that if I did that, they'd want to know more than just how I got so messed up.

Mentally, I mean.

No, the person I met was better than that. She was nice, and she didn't think I was a total freak of nature. And she was a real, living _girl_. With thoughts and opinions. And she actually seemed to like me.

I wanted to be with this girl forever, but I was afraid that my assumptions were wrong. It's not like I was very good at interpreting body language. I also wasn't very good at searching for the secret meaning behind words.

I've heard that it helps to have _working eyes_.

But this story isn't about my possible relationship. It was about my switch from ass-hole to socially-acceptable mostly-human being.

Of course, it _could_ be about both…


	51. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**January 2nd, 2011**

**Kay, so, I had this super major epiphany thing, and I really wanted to change it so bad, but then once I did change it, I was like, "Well, what's the point of this? Nobody will know that I changed it and that it's awesome!"**

**So, to those of you who actually bothered to subscribe to this story, now you know to go back and read it.**

**(Chapters 32-36)**

**Thanks, my beautiful readers!**

**~Asha Childly.**


	52. LOVE IS BLIND EXISTS! PS Thanks

**Okay, so now, Love Is Blind officially exists on fanfiction dot net!**

**I would like to take this moment to really thank everyone who's ever reviewed this story, not that it's done.**

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